By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, June 10: Sarawak could face a severe rice supply crisis if major exporting countries like India and Vietnam decide to stop shipments to Malaysia, warned Sarawak Minister for Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
He said the State remains heavily dependent on rice imports due to its low self-sufficiency level (SSL), which currently stands at only 32 per cent—well below the minimum target of 60 per cent needed to ensure stable and sustainable food security.
“What worries us is the possibility that these countries may one day stop exporting rice. That’s when our food security will be truly tested,” he said during a press conference following his working visit to the GS30 hybrid paddy trial site at the Tanjung Purun Paddy Planting Scheme in Lundu today.
During the visit, Dr Rundi inspected the GS30 hybrid paddy trial site and emphasised the need to boost local rice production to reduce reliance on imports.
He explained that Sarawak needs at least 450,000 metric tonnes of rice annually to meet domestic demand, but current output is only around 180,000 metric tonnes.
“That’s not even half of what we need. This is why we cannot keep depending on imports,” he stressed.
Dr Rundi further called for the development of a comprehensive and integrated agriculture supply chain, covering every stage from land preparation and cultivation to processing, market access, and export, in a bid to strengthen the State’s food security and reduce its reliance on imported rice. — DayakDaily
