KOTA KINABALU, Sept 6 — Sabah is set to expand the Aquaculture Industrial Zone (ZIA) for seaweed cultivation at Burst-Point on the island of Sebatik in Tawau, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

The move would help to improve the livelihood of the people on Sebatik, which sits on the border between Malaysia and Indonesia, he explained.

"Burst-Point, fronting Nunukan island, Indonesia, has been found to be most suitable for high grade seaweed cultivation and currently, some 3,000 acres have been cultivated involving 57 local entrepreneurs.

"A total of 314 metric tonnes of seaweed amassing gross sales of RM2.4 million has been harvested during the first six-month this year,” said Hajiji after a visit to the island.

According to State Fisheries deputy director Azhar Kassim, Tawau is the second-largest producer of seaweed in the state after Semporna.

Hajiji was leading a delegation comprising state secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong and state attorney general Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof among others, to the Malaysia-Indonesia maritime border near here today.

Hajiji, who is on a visit to Sabah’s east coast, later also visited the Mara Technology University (UiTM) Sabah Tawau Campus where he presented offer letters to participants of the "Ferti-Chillipreneur Komuniti Lestari” (FCPKL) project.

He said the project would help to realise the state government’s aspiration to develop the state and its people through agriculture, one of the three main SMJ thrusts.

The project involves the use of smart technology in chili cultivation by fertigation and will see some 120 participants cultivating 100 acres of land.

"This project gives full emphasis to the agenda of modern agriculture by utilising database, smart agricultural technology and the Internet of Things (IPB),” he said.

Hajiji said that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Barisan Nasional (GRS-BN) state government was committed to its development agenda and agriculture in particular, having allocated RM561.81 million in the 2022 Budget for this sector.

"Several successes have already been achieved in enhancing the state’s agriculture sector among them, the 2,000 hectares high-yield coconut plantation project launched in Paitan, Beluran in March of this year. Once fully operational, the high-yield coconut project, a high-impact investment under the SMJ plan, is expected to generate RM1.2 billion annually and provide 4,000 jobs for locals.

"Empowerment of the Bumiputera agenda and Malaysian Family is among the main goals of the five-year 12th Malaysia Plan targeting 15 per cent contribution from the micro, small and medium Bumiputera enterprises to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025.

"A total of RM11.4 billion has been allocated in 2022 to ensure the Bumiputera empowerment agenda is given priority to narrow the gap among races in Malaysia,” he said.

Hajiji is on a two-day visit to the east coast of Sabah involving the districts of Lahad Datu and Tawau. The two districts are typically the stronghold of opposition Parti Warisan.

Yesterday, he launched the GRS roadshow in Lahad Datu where he claimed the Opposition could not offer development and changes for the people’s wellbeing.

"There is nothing the people can hope for from the opposition because they cannot bring about the change people are seeking for.

"It is a fact that only elected representatives from the government can bring faster development and progress for the people of Lahad Datu,” he said.

The Lahad Datu parliamentary seat, with four state constituencies, was won by Warisan in the 14th general election and again during the 2020 Sabah election.

Hajiji earlier also attended the launching ceremony of the Lahad Datu POIC Port and the operational commencement of the POIC bulk tank facility

Tonight, he is meeting with the Tawau division of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia before flying back to the state capital.