Ongkili putting harvested paddy into a Wakid (traditional basket) to launch the Kota Marudu District-level Kaamatan Festival.
KOTA MARUDU: Rich with fertile land, Kota Marudu now aspires to be a Green District for Sabah.
Its Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the move is part of the district’s poverty eradication programme.
“In line with this year Kaamatan (Festival) theme – Kaamatan Embodies the Nature, Kota Marudu is taking the lead by promoting it as a Green District,” said Ongkili when launching the Kota Marudu District-level Kaamatan Festival here, today.
Apart from the existing crops such as corn and Saba banana, he said they would also like to promote coconut and sacha inchi planting and processing factories, and also walit (bird nest) farming, which is already under the Economic Planning Unit’s (EPU) poverty eradication programme.
“At the same time, we would also like to avoid using biological pesticides by producing our own non-chemical fertilizers,” said Ongkili, who is also the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs).
Also present at the event were Assistant Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Hendrus Anding, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Wetrom Bahanda, Kota Marudu District Officer Alexander Yong and Kota Marudu Police Chief Superintendent Zairolnizal Ishak.
