Kitingan (left) with Selangor exco member Izham during their meeting in Kota Kinabalu.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is looking at Selangor to modernise its agricultural practices, says Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
Kitingan, who is also state Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister, discussed the possibility with Selangor’s infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim during a meeting earlier this week.
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Kitingan said on Friday (Jan 26) that the meeting centred on strengthening agricultural cooperation with an eye on a partnership to modernise agricultural practices in Sabah using the expertise and experience of Selangor.
"This collaboration with Selangor marks an important step for Sabah in our journey to modernise our farming techniques and improve our food security,” Kitingan said.
He said Sabah was already in the process of allocating between 2,000ha and 5,000ha of land for agricultural development by government-linked companies.
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"These initiatives form a crucial part of our strategy to bolster Sabah’s agricultural sector," he said.
According to Kitingan, he also discussed with his Selangor counterpart the challenges faced in the fisheries sector with emphasis on the importance of sustainable marine resource management.
He said issues of illegal marine product exports such as shrimps in Sabah and clams in Selangor, as well as coral theft, were concerns for both states.
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Kitingan also said Selangor and Sabah agreed to learn from each other on seaweed farming.
"We are optimistic about this partnership bringing tangible benefits to both Sabah and Selangor,” Kitingan said, adding that Sabah would be making a follow-up visit to Selangor this year.
