PENAMPANG: Sabah hopes that the revival to preserve and utilise native seeds could go towards preventing useful plants from becoming extinct.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the programme, which is being held for the second year in conjunction with Kaamatan or harvest festival, has thus far collected 137 types of seeds or seedlings from 25 districts in the state.
"Seeds are the basis of life for a plant or crop. Without it we cannot cultivate and reap the crops.
"With the rapid development of new varieties, plant cultivators around the world are racing to produce super varieties, including "genetically modified organisms" (GMO).
"Thus, our native plants around us are no longer being given attention, although these plants have their uses and is important to the local community. Probably some of them are already facing extinction," he said.
Kitingan said this at the launch of the Seed's Spiritual Revival programme at the KDCA open hall here in conjunction with the International Day For Biological Diversity, which falls today.
Present were state Agriculture and Fisheries permanent secretary Dr Mariana Tinggal, programme organising chairman Janie Tating and United Nation Development Programme representative Shin Lee.
Kitingan, who is also the state agriculture and fisheries minister, hopes that all native seeds taken from their original habitat are recorded and shared with the Sabah Biodiversity Center.
By doing so, the state will have a proper database for reference in the future.
Once the seeds had been collected, Kitingan said the Sabah Agriculture department would be the custodian to conserve and develop those plants.
"I hope this programme does not stop here because I believe that there are still many other native plants in the villages and forests that have not been exploited in terms of their potential use.
"I also hope that the chosen area for those plants (to be cultivated) would become something that we are proud of after 10 years. It could also become an ecotourism product."