KUCHING: Sarawak is ready to match allocations from the federal government in the effort to boost rice production with the ultimate aim of achieving self sufficiency.
For starters it said it is prepared to provide for half the cost of drainage and irrigation systems over 10,000 hectares of land identified for paddy cultivation.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said overall the proposed development of these paddy cultivation projects in Stumbin, Tanjung Bijat and Lingga in Sri Aman would require up to RM2 billion.
“I met with Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu (Minister of Agriculture and Food Security) when he came over to Kuching and I briefed him about what we are going to do with our rice production.
“We compared Stumbin, Lingga, and Tanjung Bijat with areas in Kedah. The acreage is nearly the same, so the investment required for drainage and irrigation was over RM1 billion.
“So I requested if possible for the federal government to also chip in and the Minister said he would need to consult the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who also serves as the Minister of Finance,” he said.
He said this to reporters after officiating at the opening of the 2nd Regional Conference on Agrobiodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Utilisation (RAC2) 2024 here on today (June 11).
Abang Johari, who is also the Gedong assemblyman, said nevertheless Sarawak is ready to match the federal contributions to ensure the project’s success.
“I promised him (Mohamad Sabu) that we are ready for a one-to-one match. If the federal government provides RM500 million, we will match it with another RM500 million. If it’s RM1 billion, we will provide RM1 billion.
“This is just for the Sri Aman area; we also have similar plans for the Simunjan and Lundu area,” he said.
He added that 200,000 metric tonnes of rice can be produced from the 10,000 hectares by using the latest technology.
To a question on whether there is still a need to import rice following the success of the sufficient rice production in the state, Abang Johari responded: “No, if we have sufficient rice production, importing becomes irrelevant. In fact, we might even have a surplus for export.”
Earlier in his speech, he said to kickstart the project, the state had already allocated half a billion Ringgit for the drainage and irrigation system development for next year.
“For 2026, another half a billion Ringgit. Meaning RM1 billion for this initial 10,000 hectares of land (for paddy cultivation).
“Costs are rising, which is why we must work hard to generate revenue for Sarawak,” he said.
He added that Sarawak has more available land and there are also plans to develop rice production in the areas of Limbang and Lawas.
“This could potentially produce an additional 400,000 to 500,000 metric tonnes of rice.
“With that, the surplus from Sarawak’s production could help bolster Malaysia’s rice supply, reducing the country’s dependency on imports from countries like India, Vietnam, and Thailand,” he said.
