Among the crops identified are banana, avocado, watermelon, kelapa pandan and several types of vegetables with high market demand. In terms of implementation, a committee would be set up emphasising on the involvement of private sector based on the MoA Inc. concept.

The Tawau Permanent Food Production Park, the first such facility in Sabah, is expected to produce yield by the middle of 2010.

All infrastructure, valued at RM12.6 million and financed by the Federal Government, had been set up at the 93.6-ha site at Batu 15, Jalan Apas, made available by Sabah government.

Available are 58 farm lots for the cultivation of six types of cash crops -- papaya, maize, banana, pineapple, water melon and vegetables.

A pump station had been provided to draw water from Sungai Apas and channel it to the farm lots through pipes.


Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak visited the park on 13th September 2009. He also attended a breaking of fast with Tawau community leaders and the people at the Al-Kauthar Mosque on that day.

The food park project was launched in Sabah after the state and Federal governments signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2001 for the establishment of five such parks.

The four other park sites are in Sungai Lokan and Sungai Koyah in Kinabatangan and Langkawit and Mandalipau in Papar.

The objective of establishing these parks was to encourage the private sector to participate in food production while providing jobs as well as to optimise the use of land for food production and ensure continued agricultural yield.

58 applicants will be selected from the 190 applicant.


The annual lease for each participant would be RM365 for every 0.4ha.