wetlands-1
wetlands-2
wetlands-3
KOTA KINABALU: Smart usage of land, with emphasis on environmental approaches to maintain the natural ecosystem, is the only way forward for the rice planting sector in Sabah, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin.
Yahya, who is also the Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, said in order for the industry to grow and be competitive, it must take heed of the increasing awareness among local and global consumers who wanted their products to be produced only through good agriculture practices.
He said with food grown using responsible methods and free from pesticide and other contaminants increasingly becoming the preferred choice, it was not impossible that Sabah would in future emulate countries like Japan and China, which have their paddy fields declared as Ramsar sites.
“The National Agro Food formulated in 2008 showed that paddy planting is a vital industry for Malaysia. It also means that the country will need more areas for planting the crop that is managed sustainably and in eco-friendly way, supported with innovative research and development activities to produce better grains in order to meet domestic and foreign demand,” he said.
Yahya said this when officiating at the launch of Tanak Wetlands Camp held in conjunction with the World Wetland Day 2014 at Kota Kinabalu Wetlands (KKW) here yesterday.
Paddy fields cover about 11 per cent of the total agricultural land globally, and over one-tenth of all cultivated lands in Malaysia.
Rice represents 35 per cent of daily calorie intake of the people in Asia and there are 6,700 square kilometres of land cultivated with the crop in Malaysia alone.
Touching on the event, Yahya said it was aimed at educating participating students on inter-connectivity between wetlands and the agriculture sector, including paddy planting.
Commending the KKW for organizing the camp, he also informed that the park was expected to finally get its Ramsar listing soon.