KOTA MARUDU: Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok has urged owners of idle land in Sabah to grab the opportunity provided by the federal government to develop their land.
By doing so they can deter big companies from buying the land, Dompok said at a dialogue with Kota Marudu oil palm smallholders here yesterday.
“Our land is a valuable asset which our children and future generation can inherit. If you sell it off, there will be nothing left for your future generation. So use the assistance and opportunities made available by the federal government to develop your land with agriculture products such as oil palm,” he said.
This is because big companies are only interested in idle land which they can develop, he pointed out.
Dompok also was of the opinion that Sabah has high potential for oil palm plantations and in view of this, he encouraged more Sabahans with idle land to venture into planting oil palm.
According to him, in the past assistance was only available for those who are replanting oil palm but now, it has been extended to those who are just first-time planters.
“I know that one of the problems faced by land owners who want to plant oil palm is in land use where some want to plant oil palm but the condition in their land use is for rubber. This is happening in Sabah and Sarawak and I will be discussing the matter with the respective state governments to see how it and other issues on land use can be resolved,” he said.