By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 10: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) will implement nine paddy granary development projects across Sarawak starting next year, with an allocation of RM233 million for 2026 as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the nation’s food security.
According to Bernama news, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the projects are located in the Batang Lupar, Kota Samarahan, Serian and Igan parliamentary constituencies.
The initiative, he said, is one of KPKM’s strategies in enhancing Malaysia’s self-reliance in food supply, particularly in the event of global import disruptions.
“To address potential risks and strengthen food resilience, various measures are being implemented, including improving mechanisms in the paddy and rice industry, strengthening the beef industry, and further developing the dairy and aquaculture sectors,” said Mohamad Sabu during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Responding to a question from Aminolhuda Hassan (PH–Sri Gading) on whether next year’s allocation would effectively support the expansion of identified paddy granary areas in Sarawak, Mohamad said Malaysia’s self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) for rice in 2023 stood at 56.2 per cent, while chicken production recorded an SSR of 90.2 per cent.
He added that encouraging progress was also observed in beef and fresh milk production, though the country still depends heavily on imports for rice, poultry and certain vegetables.
As of October 21, Malaysia’s physical rice stock was 1.19 million metric tonnes, sufficient to meet domestic demand for six months, while chicken production remained stable, with projections of 70.65 million birds.
Mohamad said the government is adopting a holistic approach to strengthen national food security by coordinating efforts between various ministries and agencies, including the Economy Ministry and the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.
The initiative also involves close collaboration with state governments to identify new areas for paddy granary development and to ensure that land allocation issues do not delay project implementation.
“Both Deputy Prime Ministers are directly involved in this food security initiative to ensure policies and actions are effectively aligned between the federal and state levels,” he said.
However, Mohamad said the proposal to bring experienced paddy farmers from Peninsular Malaysia to assist with new granary operations in Sabah and Sarawak has yet to be finalised, as local manpower in both states is currently capable of managing the new areas. — DayakDaily
