By Karen Bong
BINTULU, July 12: The Sarawak government has set aside RM500 million for the development of irrigation infrastructure for high-yield paddy cultivation projects in identified areas, with RM32 million allocated for Gedong, where a pilot project is current being undertaken by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg stressed the urgency of these projects, noting that Sarawak cannot sit and wait for Federal assistance.
He pointed out that the large-scale paddy cultivation initiatives, which will cover 3,000 hectares in the first phase, are critical for enhancing food production and security in Sarawak, which aims to become a net food exporter by 2030.
The first phase includes areas such as Tanjung Bijat, Stumbin, Lingga, Gedong, Simunjan, and Lundu, while waiting for Federal funding support.
“We need a lot of money to implement the irrigation infrastructure alone. I discussed this with Malaysia Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu) that the scale of these identified areas, including those involving smallholders, could rival major developments in Kedah.
“The Kedah project cost around RM1 billion, so I proposed that the federal government to provide this amount to support Sarawak’s agriculture sector. This would help increase paddy production and bolster national food security, especially for rice,” he said when addressing the closing ceremony of the Congress on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (COSAFS) 2024 at a hotel in Bintulu, which was streamed live via Ukas Channel today.
Given the financial constraints faced by the Federal government, Abang Johari said he later proposed a matching grant with the Federal contributing RM500 million and Sarawak government comes up with the other RM500 million for the initial phase of the project.
“The Sarawak government has the money ready for these initiatives.
“Our target is to produce over 200,000 tonnes of rice. Based on the calculation from Gedong’s project, it is estimated to produce eight tonnes per hectare.
“With 3,000 hectares and five seasons in 12 months, we are looking at producing 200,000 to 240,000 tonnes annually and this means Sarawak will have self-sufficiency in rice and this will enable us to reduce reliance on Bernas or import,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Abang Johari expressed confidence that expanding paddy cultivation to areas such as Limbang, Lawas, and Miri will further enhance rice production.
He is optimistic that Sarawak could not only meet its own rice needs but also contribute surplus to Peninsular Malaysia, ensuring sufficient rice availability nationwide.
Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Mficord Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, Deputy Minister of Food Industry Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail, Deputy Minister of Commodity and Regional Development Datuk Martin Ben, UPM Board of Directors chairman Prof Emeritus Dato Dr Ibrahim Komoo and UPM vice chancellor Dato Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah. — DayakDaily
