KOTA KINABALU, April 21 (Bernama) -- Sabah should speedily attractinvestment to its oil palm sector so as not to lose out to neighbouringstates and provinces which are similarly engaged in drawing investment tothis area, the State Assembly was told Wednesday.

Moving the motion of thanks to the Yang Dipertua Negeri for his openingaddress, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said as one of the largestproducers of crude palm oil in the country, Sabah should work hard to haveadded value to palm oil.

Sabah has the potential to be the oil palm processing centre for thecountry and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean GrowthArea (BIMP-EAGA), he said.

"At present Sarawak and Kalimantan, Indonesia, are actively developing andexpanding their oil palm plantations," Musa said.

He also wanted all obstacles stifling the industry to be removed.

"We should not delay attracting investment to the Palm Oil IndustrialCluster which had already been set up in Sandakan and Lahad Datu. If notexisting opportunities will be seized by others in the region," he said.

The Chief Minister said Sabah should also expand its marine-basedindustries such as fisheries and marine-weed production.

"Processing using high technology, biotechnology research and developmentwill be encouraged in the development of the various industries," Musasaid.

Apart from focusing on economic growth, Sabah would also be activelyengaged in reducing its rate of poverty in which 16 per cent of thepopulation was till embroiled.

"The Government has implemented various poverty-eradication programmes andschemes costing thousands of millions of ringgit. It is timely for us toreview and upgrade these programmes to make them more effective," he said.

He said educating the children of the poor was a long term measure tobring them out of the clutches of poverty.

"Hence children should be given education, training and skills to enablethem to be self-reliant," Musa said.

-- BERNAMA