KOTA BELUD, March 7 — The construction of the Kota Belud Integrated Agricultural Development Area (IADA) Complex, here, is expected to be ready in 2027 if the tender for the project can be resolved this year, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.

He said the government has allocated RM36 million in 2022 for the complex project in line with efforts to strengthen the role of IADA, thus helping to boost paddy cultivation in Sabah, especially in Kota Belud.

"The site works have been completed and we hope that the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) will be able to open tenders for the Kota Belud IADA project this year,” he said in his speech during a visit to the Kota Belud IADA here today.

Arthur said he would also meet with Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, who is also Sabah Public Works Minister, to discuss ways to expedite the project.

According to him, the IADA Complex will not only become a landmark for the development of the country’s rice and paddy industry but will also contribute to the development of the area.

"This complex will also be a training centre for paddy farmers to improve their knowledge in the development of the paddy industry,” he said.

Commenting on the development of the paddy industry in Sabah, Arthur said that the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry had brought in two new paddy seeds, namely Siraj MR 297 and MR 269, in collaboration with the Sabah Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry as an effort to increase the self-sufficiency level (SSL) of the state’s rice production and to increase the income of paddy farmers.

He said the new paddy seeds were being planted at the trial plots at the Tuaran Agricultural Research Centre.

He expressed confidence that the new paddy seed will be able to increase rice production and at the same time, increase the income of farmers. — Bernama