CM: U.S. FIRM MULLS RM1bn SABAH STAKE

10th May, 2012

KOTA KINABALU: A U.S. food company, Dole is keen to invest overRM1 billion in the food and fruits industry in Sabah.Speaking to reporters after opening the Putatan Agriculture Expo here yesterday, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman said further discussions were ongoing to pick a suitable joint venture partner from among the state agencies.A suitable location is also being identified.“They (Dole) – a big company in the food and fruits industry – have already expressed interest to have this partnership,” he added.He said the American firm was keen to invest in Sabah because the state was peaceful and conducive for investment.Musa also said Sabah could become a major food producing state in the country.Earlier in his speech, he said farmers, livestock breeders, planters as well as fishermen needed tointensify efforts and be adept in using technology for the sake of progress.“This is the hope of the state government so as to debunk the perception that they are backward but are people capable of earning a good income and whose socio-economic status has improved,” he said.He said the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry has implemented programmes to raise the socio-economic status of the people and this was made possible with new discoveries which resulted in higher agriculture yields and income for the farmers.Musa also said the government encouraged farmers to develop their land fully as there are many assistance schemes provided by the ministry.The Chief Minister said during the Ninth Malaysia Plan period, Sabah’s economy grew at a rate of five per cent annually, and that the agriculture sector contributed RM7.24 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 as compared with RM3.8 billion in 2005.Agirulcure, he said, was a major contributor to the state’s economy.It is a key sector along with tourism and manufacturing under the Halatuju which was launched in 2003.And, this economic development plan (Halatuju) is aimed to increase production of food for domestic and export markets, and subsequently to reduce dependence on imported food and raise self-sufficiency.On the agriculture expo, Musa expressed confidence that it would benefit the target groups and all those involved.“The latest information and research discoveries available during the exhibition are useful for the developemnt of the sector,”he added.The Chief Minister also said cooperation from everyone was the key to making Sabah a major food producer in Malaysia.“It is my hope the expo will also be held in other districts so that the potential of these areas can be exploited,” he said matter-of-factly.Also president were Deputy Chief Minister cum Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin and his two deputies Datuk Bonney Suan and Datuk Musbah Jamli, State Secretary Datuk Sukarti Wakiman, the agriculture ministry’s permanent secretary Datuk Ujang Sulani and state agriculture director Datuk M.C. Ismail Salam.

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