KOTA KINABALU, Dec 10 (Bernama) — The strength of a country can be gauged based on its ability to produce sufficient, safe and nutritious food sources. said the Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.

He said this reflected the importance of agriculture to guarantee food security and generate economy for the people and the country.

However, he said, food production had become more challenging due to unpredictable weather, resource constraints, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and international conflicts

“Therefore, the capacity of food production and access to food need to be increased to meet current needs,” he said when opening the 24th Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) convocation ceremony here today.

Juhar, who is UMS chancellor, said the state’s agricultural sector, which contributed 16.5 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020, had yet to meet the domestic demand for major food commodities such as rice, fruits, vegetables and meat.

“Therefore, our country is still dependent on the import of food, which amounted to RM55.4 billion in 2020,” he added.

Juhar said Sabah had drawn up the State Agricultural Blueprint (2021-2030),  which is in line with the 3rd Sabah State Agricultural Policy (2017-2026), to guarantee food supply in the state.

He said the implementation of the Sabah Agricultural Blueprint was based on four key principles, namely production, innovation, sustainability and human capital development.

This, he said, was in line with efforts by UMS in promoting high-tech agriculture through the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture (FPL), which is offering a programme for a Bachelor’s Degree in Smart Precision Farming from next year.

“This initiative by UMS is a big contribution to the field of agriculture and can indirectly contribute to food stability and guarantee employment opportunities for graduates,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency