Background
The Third National Agriculture Policy (NAP3) has identified the herbal industry as an emergent industry for the further development of agriculture. Malaysia intends to be a major producer in the international herbal industry by 2010. Identified as new products and future industry group, herbal-based products are categorized under the specialty natural products (SNP). This product category refers to natural products based on botanicals (herbs, medicinal plants, spices and aromatic plants) and aquatic plants and animals.
Malaysia’s rain forest supports more than 20,000 plant species out of which 2,000 plant species have been reported to have medicinal value. Sabah is also rich in biodiversity which needs to be explored and commercialised in a sustainable manner. The indigenous communities’ knowledge on ethnobotany also has yet to be fully tapped.
In view of the potential contribution of the herbal industry to the State’s economy, the government has decided to set up a working committee dedicated to the task of developing the herbal/Specialty Natural Products industry in Sabah. The Chief Minister disclosed this when he chaired the 2nd meeting of the Steering Committee on Agro-Industrial Development in Sabah held on 5 December 2000. The objectives, organisational structure and membership of the Working Committee are as follows:
Objectives
• To monitor the development of the industry and chart the direction in providing policy recommendation;
• To assist in promoting participation in the herbal industry in Sabah;
• To co-ordinate the systematic and orderly documentation, bio-prospecting and R&D of herbal resources;
• To assist in the protection of herbal biodiversity, indigenous knowledge of herbal plants and Intellectual Property Right (IPR) related to herbal industry.
Organisational Structure and Membership
Chairman: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Resource Development
Members: Agriculture Department;
Natural Resource Office, Chief Minister’s Department
Ministry of Industrial Development
Sabah Museum
Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI);
Sabah Parks;
Forestry Department;
State Health Department;
Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry;
Centre for Borneo Studies, Yayasan Sabah;
Sabah Institute for Small and Medium Industry (IPKS);
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS);
Science & Technology Unit, Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Science and Technology;
Sabah Inter-Agency Tropical Ecosystem (SITE);
Sabah Pharmaceutical Society;
North Borneo Herb Growers Association;
Kota Kinabalu Chinese Druggists Association;
Partners of Community Organisation (PACOS);
Mr. Anthony Lamb
Secretariat: Institute for Development Studies (Sabah), IDS.