LAHAD DATU, Nov 20 — Sabah is poised to become the country’s largest beef cattle producer with the implementation of the Felda Sahabat Beef Hub project, at Tungku near here, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.
He said over RM12 million had been approved for the hub project over the 6,837.46-hectare site dedicated to livestock farms and grazing areas.
“The hub now receives 268 cows, and until next June, the hub is expected to receive 2,600 beef cattle breeds in stages.
“The government has high hopes for this project, to meet local demands and enable export to Brunei, Indonesia and Sarawak,” he told reporters after officiating the beef cattle hub project near here today.
He said the project, involving 871 Felda Sahabat settlers, would help increase their income, which on the average was about RM7,000 per month.
“It is expected that each settler will receive an additional income of about RM1,000 a month after this,” he said, adding that the hub was one of 6,597 projects worth RM132 million under the Settlers Development Programme (PPP) initiative.
Meanwhile, he said starting January next year, Felda would create a special account for settlers involved in the replanting scheme with the current contribution rate of RM120 per month for 10 acres.
“Previously, the contribution rate for one acre of RM12 was included in Felda’s general account and starting next year will be included in a special account for more efficiency,” he said.
According to him, Felda would also consider and discuss with settlers and related parties to increase the monthly contribution rate according to the price of oil palm.
Meanwhile, Mustapa added that the government had identified 50 localities including four in Sabah to implement pilot projects to eradicate hardcore poverty holistically.
He said the state government’s assistance was needed to identify the localities involved to achieve the country’s zero hardcore poverty target by 2025.
