KOTA KINABALU: 23 July 2026 – The state government has allocated RM24.3 million under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMKe-13) to upgrade 18 government-owned ruminant and non-ruminant livestock farms across Sabah, in a bid to boost production capacity and strengthen the state’s food security.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry, Datuk Jamawi Jaafar, said the project involves the development of 11 large ruminant farms, five small ruminant farms and two non-ruminant farms, which will be implemented in stages across several districts in Sabah.
He was speaking in response to a question from Dr Daud Yusof (Bongawan) during the Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting today.
According to him, of the total allocation, RM12.5 million has been set aside for the development of 11 large ruminant farms, RM7 million for five small ruminant farms and RM4.8 million for two non-ruminant farms.
The upgrades are expected to gradually increase livestock production up to 2030, including the output of meat, ruminant breeds, as well as chicks and ducklings, to meet the state’s food security needs.
“For large and small ruminants, each increase in production has a direct impact on the state’s meat Self-Sufficiency Level (SSR), as the current SSR for beef and buffalo meat is only 7.05%,” he said.
“The contribution of these DVS farms is part of the RMKe-13 efforts, including the Oil Palm Integration Programme, MEPKAS and Genetic Resource Development, to achieve the target of a 25% ruminant meat SSR by 2030,” he added.
He said that for the non-ruminant sector, farms owned by the Sabah Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) will continue to function as training and breeding centres, supplying livestock for government programmes such as “Kebun Dapur” (Kitchen Garden) and supporting small-scale entrepreneurs and rural communities looking to venture into livestock farming.
