LABUAN, July 25 (Bernama) -- Labuan should expand greenhouse farming and modern agricultural activities to reduce its heavy dependence on food supplies from mainland Sabah, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
He said about 90 per cent of the duty-free island’s food requirements were currently sourced from Sabah, while local production accounted for only 10 per cent.
“Food security must be made a key priority for the island … we cannot continue to depend almost entirely on food supplies from outside Labuan.
“We must not allow a repeat of situations where essential items such as eggs and cooking oil became scarce and had to be airlifted using military aircraft,” he said at a press conference after officiating the Road to MAHA Labuan 2026 programme at the Labuan International Sea Sports Complex here today,.
Mohamad said food security must be placed high on the national agenda amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainties in the global economy, which could disrupt supply chains and affect food availability.
He said experts from his ministry’s agency like Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI ) could assist in improving soil conditions in suitable areas of Labuan to enable more land to be cultivated.
“Greenhouse farming provides an opportunity to overcome constraints involving land and soil conditions.
“With suitable technology and technical assistance, Labuan can increase local food production and reduce its dependence on supplies from outside the island,” he said.
Mohamad also encouraged local agro-entrepreneurs to venture into agro-tourism, which could generate additional income while strengthening Labuan’s agriculture and tourism sectors.
He said medium- and large-scale poultry farming should also be developed to increase the local supply of chicken and eggs and reduce the risk of shortages.
The four-day Road to MAHA Labuan programme, jointly organised by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, the Federal Territories Department (JWP) under the Prime Minister’s Department and Labuan Corporation (LC), began on July 23 and ends tomorrow.
The programme is a prelude to the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition 2026, which will be held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang in Selangor from Aug 28 to Sept 6.
The exhibition, themed “Value Creation for Food Security”, will showcase developments and innovations in the country’s agriculture and agrofood sectors.
The selection of Labuan as one of the Road to MAHA locations reflects the island’s geographical position and the challenges it faces in maintaining a stable and sustainable food supply chain.
The programme features several exhibition components, including the Food Security and Innovation Zone, Modern Livestock Zone, Aquaculture and Tuna Industry Zone, Agro-tourism and Cultural Zone, Small and Medium Enterprise and Youth Entrepreneur Zone, and Labuan Food Empire.
At the event, Mohamad also launched the Labuan Federal Territory Food Security Strategic Plan 2026-2030.
The five-year plan outlines strategies, initiatives and action plans to strengthen Labuan’s food system and increase its resilience against supply disruptions.
Agricultural grants, incentives and assistance totalling RM1,984,445 were also presented to targeted groups in the fisheries, farming, agrofood processing, aquaculture, poultry, apiculture and food-product development sectors.
The assistance included living allowances and housing aid for fishermen, productivity improvement programmes, packaging and labelling grants, fisheries technology incentives, agricultural community development projects, and support for poultry and onion production.
A memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation for the development of Labuan’s tuna industry and seafood-processing ecosystem was also exchanged during the event.
Letters of appointment for the MAHA 2026 state pavilion coordinators for Sarawak and the Federal Territories Department were also presented.
“Food security must be made a key priority for the island … we cannot continue to depend almost entirely on food supplies from outside Labuan.
“We must not allow a repeat of situations where essential items such as eggs and cooking oil became scarce and had to be airlifted using military aircraft,” he said at a press conference after officiating the Road to MAHA Labuan 2026 programme at the Labuan International Sea Sports Complex here today,.
Mohamad said food security must be placed high on the national agenda amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainties in the global economy, which could disrupt supply chains and affect food availability.
He said experts from his ministry’s agency like Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI ) could assist in improving soil conditions in suitable areas of Labuan to enable more land to be cultivated.
“Greenhouse farming provides an opportunity to overcome constraints involving land and soil conditions.
“With suitable technology and technical assistance, Labuan can increase local food production and reduce its dependence on supplies from outside the island,” he said.
Mohamad also encouraged local agro-entrepreneurs to venture into agro-tourism, which could generate additional income while strengthening Labuan’s agriculture and tourism sectors.
He said medium- and large-scale poultry farming should also be developed to increase the local supply of chicken and eggs and reduce the risk of shortages.
The four-day Road to MAHA Labuan programme, jointly organised by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, the Federal Territories Department (JWP) under the Prime Minister’s Department and Labuan Corporation (LC), began on July 23 and ends tomorrow.
The programme is a prelude to the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition 2026, which will be held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang in Selangor from Aug 28 to Sept 6.
The exhibition, themed “Value Creation for Food Security”, will showcase developments and innovations in the country’s agriculture and agrofood sectors.
The selection of Labuan as one of the Road to MAHA locations reflects the island’s geographical position and the challenges it faces in maintaining a stable and sustainable food supply chain.
The programme features several exhibition components, including the Food Security and Innovation Zone, Modern Livestock Zone, Aquaculture and Tuna Industry Zone, Agro-tourism and Cultural Zone, Small and Medium Enterprise and Youth Entrepreneur Zone, and Labuan Food Empire.
At the event, Mohamad also launched the Labuan Federal Territory Food Security Strategic Plan 2026-2030.
The five-year plan outlines strategies, initiatives and action plans to strengthen Labuan’s food system and increase its resilience against supply disruptions.
Agricultural grants, incentives and assistance totalling RM1,984,445 were also presented to targeted groups in the fisheries, farming, agrofood processing, aquaculture, poultry, apiculture and food-product development sectors.
The assistance included living allowances and housing aid for fishermen, productivity improvement programmes, packaging and labelling grants, fisheries technology incentives, agricultural community development projects, and support for poultry and onion production.
A memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation for the development of Labuan’s tuna industry and seafood-processing ecosystem was also exchanged during the event.
Letters of appointment for the MAHA 2026 state pavilion coordinators for Sarawak and the Federal Territories Department were also presented.