A Permanent Food Production Park in Putatan

Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin together with Director of Agriculture Department Datuk MC Ismail Salam checking on a rock melon during the inspection of food production park site in Putatan.

The 5 hectares permanent food production park in Putatan is expected to generate RM5 million income by its first year of production in 2014.

The park which costs RM10,365,000 is financed by the federal government as part of the government’s strategy to develop a permanent place for food production on a commercial scale using high technology agriculture practices.

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin said the park was planned to help the country to cope with the rising demand for vegetables and fruits.

“This permanent food production park will increase our food production and reduce food imports. The project can also encourage the private sector to participate in food production. It will provide jobs as well as optimise agricultural yields.

“As far as food is concerned our balance of trade is not satisfactory so we are trying to meet the domestic demands first before considering exports,” Yahya told reporters during the inspection of the park at the Putatan Integrated Agricultural Training Centre today.

He said that rock melon will be the first crop to be cultivated. Later other high valued crops such as eggplant and chilli will be produced.

There are four more permanent food production park projected soon apart from the one at Putatan and one in Tawau. There will be  one in Sungai Lokan Kinabatangan which covers 723 hectares and Padawan Mandalipau in Papar which will have 517 hectares, Sungai Koyah Kinabatangan with 80 hectares, and 15 hectares in Masilou, Kundasang which will produce fruits and vegetables.

The Director of Sabah Agriculture Department, Datuk M.C Ismail Salam disclosed that the permanent food production park in Tawau which is the first food production centre in Sabah has collected an income of more than RM1 million so far.

M.C Ismail said that he expected that the programme in Putatan will also yield a high return and create jobs for the local people.

“11 participants including graduates in agriculture will be selected to participate in the Putatan permanent food production project. The candidates will go through a screening process to ensure the success of the project,” he said.

He also told reporters that the Putatan permanent food production parks project will use rock melon seeds imported from Japan and will be cultivated in sheltered plots.

The commercial price of rock melon imported from Australia sold in Malaysia fetches as much as RM76 each.

Source: Insight Sabah