KOTA KINABALU: Food security, modernising farming and addressing flood problems in high-risk areas will be the focus next year, said Sabah Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar.
He said the RM559.85mil allocation for his ministry under the state Budget 2026 would be utilised to revive idle lands, develop integrated smart farming (IoT greenhouses) as well as putting in place automated irrigation systems to boost productivity.
“Some 67ha of abandoned padi fields in Bongawan will be redeveloped and 445ha slated for irrigation upgrades.
“The Sabah Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABTeC) in Tuaran has been tasked to develop climate‑resilient crops, including high‑yield padi tolerant to drought and salinity,” he said when winding up debates on Sabah Budget 2026.
He said the budget allocation for his ministry comprising RM416.76mil for supply and RM143.09mil for development reflected the sector’s importance in contributing 14.5% to Sabah’s GDP worth RM12.2bil in 2025.
He said the ministry will allocate RM900,000 under the Blue Economy for artificial reefs, Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), mechanisation upgrades, and digitalisation, adding that since 1982, a total of 2,535 artificial reefs were put in place at 85 sites statewide.
He also said that licensing issues for poultry and pig farms would be addressed with amendments to the Animal Enactment 2015 while they will also provide grants of up to RM30,000 for young farmers under Agropreneur Muda programme.
On flood mitigation, he said the RM76mil Lido flood mitigation project in Kota Kinabalu would be completed by June 2026 and major flood mitigations proposed under 13th Malaysia Plan (MP13) were for Sg Tawau, Sg Abai (Kota Belud), Sg Manjang (Sandakan), Sg Sepagaya (Lahad Datu).
Among others planned are to introduce the garden to kitchen Programme for household farming of crops, fish, and livestock to boost food security.
“A mentor–mentee agriculture programme to pair youth with experienced farmers will help boost digital entrepreneurship in food products,” he said.
Jamwi said that agriculture remains the backbone to Sabah’s economic resilience and food security and urged youths to embrace farming and digital innovation.