KOTA KINABALU: The northern district of Kota Marudu is aspiring to become Sabah's "green district".

       With its rich fertile land, Kota Marudu MP Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili encouraged people to focus on growing cash crops as part of efforts to eradicate poverty in the district.

       "In line with this year's Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) theme 'Kaamatan Embodies the Nature' Kota Marudu is taking the lead by promoting it as a green district," he said when launching the Pesta Kaamatan for the Kota Marudu district on Sunday (May 15).

       Apart from the existing crops such as corn and bananas, he said that they would also like to promote coconut and the popular health benefiting sacha inchi planting and processing factories.

       "We will also encourage bird's nest farming, which is already under the Economic Planning Unit's (EPU) poverty eradication programme," he added.

       "At the same time, we would also like to avoid using chemicals for pesticides by producing our own non-chemical fertilisers," said Ongkili, who is also the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs).

       Kota Marudu is among five districts in Sabah that has been identified as one of the nation's poorest districts.

       The official poverty rate in Kota Marudu is 46.1%. The other Sabah districts are Tongod (56.6%), Pitas (53.6%), Beluran (45%) and Telupid (40.7%).