State's economic recovery benefits from Sabah Maju Jaya 1.0

KOTA KINABALU, 22 Sept  -- The Sabah Maju Jaya 1.0 development plan has been a positive impact on the state’s economic recovery efforts amid the pandemic, the Sabah state assembly was told today.

Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor said three sectors in the state’s economy, namely agriculture, industrial, and tourism, have already benefited from the development plan which runs from 2020 to 2025, and which is also part of the Halatuju Sabah Maju Jaya initiative.

“Early indications show that the implementation of  Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya and Sabah Maju Jaya 1.0 has managed to draw investors into the three main focus sectors of the state’s economy,” he said in a reply to Calvin Chong Ket Kiun (DAP-Elopura), who asked what the state’s administration was doing to revive Sabah’s economic and social sectors from the impact of COVID-19.

Halatuju Sabah Maju Jaya was launched in March to drive and implement the state’s development plans.

On March 22, the state government had signed a memorandum of understanding with a producer of coconut-based products to develop the state’s coconut plantation project, the chief minister revealed.

"The project involves an investment of RM420 million which will see the building of a coconut processing factory in Pitas that will cost RM200 million. This initiative will create 3,250 jobs," he said.

The state government will also focus on agriculture sub-sectors, fishery, and livestock to ensure the state’s food supply as well as for exports.

For the industrial sector, Sabah has managed to attract a RM4.2 billion investment in July from a copper foil producer to operate at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park starting in 2023.

“The factory will be built on a 161.87-hectare piece of land and create 400 jobs, the state government will continue to encourage export-oriented industries and import substitutes as part of efforts to revive the economy,” Hajiji said.

In the tourism sector, the Lok Kawi Resort City with an investment of RM7 billion will create 5,000 jobs which will directly benefit wholesalers, retailers, food suppliers, and others. 

“The state government will launch an aggressive tourism promotion,” he promised.

Sabah will also focus on strategic border areas with development potential, such as the Serudong-Simanggaris border town.

“This development takes into consideration the potential economic benefits that come with the shifting of Indonesia’s capital to Kalimantan,” the chief minister said.

-- BERNAMA