02/08/2011 (Borneo Post) - The Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) here will be equipped with three ports in phases one, two and three.

According to Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur, the ports for the first two phases to handle fertilizer and general items have been completed and still awaiting safety verification from the relevant authorities.

The third one is a container port which is expected to be built in three to four years time.

“Phase three of POIC will also be equipped with an electric power plant using the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), and POIC is chosen because of the depth of the port which could accommodate large ships carrying the gas,” he said when met at the annual meeting of Koperasi Perkasa Bumiputera Lahad Datu here on Saturday.

Nasrun said this was the first time he attended the cooperative’s annual meeting where 600 members from Kunak, Lahad Datu and Tungku were present.

“I am very pleased with the involvement of the cooperative members in this area who always provide support by attending any event organised by the cooperative,” he said.

Nasrun said the establishment of cooperatives is one of the government’s ways to help the people as through the cooperatives, the people could involve in business and develop themselves.

He added cooperatives are now joined by the younger generation who are able to use their intelligence to develop them.

Also present at the ceremony were Saidsaripudin Bahrudin, the cooperative development officer from the Cooperative Commission of Malaysia Sabah, and Harun Oyuk, chairman of Koperasi Perkasa Bumiputera Lahad Datu.