NABAWAN:
The Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) will
plant oil palm on 5,700ha in two areas in
Nabawan and build the first palm oil mill in the
district next year.
Land clearing
at the 3,600ha Nabawan Settlement Scheme will
start early next year.
SLDB chief
executive officer Jhuvarri Majid said the
state-owned agency had already started clearing
and terracing the land at a 2,104ha site in
Pandewan.
Speaking at
the launch of the projects here, Jhuvarri said
that a 40ha site had been identified for the
palm oil mill while all approvals from relevant
agencies had been obtained.
“We will try
to start work on the mill by the middle of next
year,” Jhuvarri said to oil palm smallholders
who currently sold their fresh fruit bunches (FFB)
to the nearest mill located in Sook.
He said the
mill could process 60 tonnes of FFB per hour and
serve smallholders and new estates in Pandewan,
the Nabawan Settlement Scheme and other estates
set to open up soon.
He said that
SLDB had identified a total of 13,400ha in Sinua
(4,800ha), Lumini (3,600ha), Labang (2,000ha)
and Suwatalun (2,000ha) suitable for oil palm
and work on developing these areas would be done
progressively as the approvals were obtained.
“In all these
areas, SLDB will develop the land in joint
ventures with the people.
“After the
land is developed, the hardcore-poor
participants in Nabawan will be settled in the
estates. Apart from earning dividends, they and
their adult children will be provided with jobs
in the estates,” added Jhuvarri.
At the launch,
participants in the Pandewan estate received
joint-venture documents from SLDB and an initial
payment of RM500.
Later, Nabawan
assemblyman and Nabawan Settlement Scheme
chairman Datuk Bobby A. Suan handed over a
letter of authority to Jhuvarri allowing SLDB to
develop the Nabawan Settlement Scheme.
Suan commended
SLDB for bringing development to Nabawan, which
is considered the poorest district in Sabah with
the most number of hardcore poor families.
