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KUCHING, Nov 30 — Sarawak is taking steps to increase paddy production by rehabilitating and opening more areas for cultivation to ensure the state does not experience a rice shortage, Datuk Seri Stephen Rundi Utom told the state assembly today.
The state minister of food industry, goods and regional development said that the current annual domestic production can meet only 38 percent of the state’s needs.
“To meet our demand for rice, Sarawak must import 146,000 metric tonnes of rice in 2021, worth RM387 million,” he said in his closing speech.
However, Rundi said that Bernas kept 33,200 metric tons of rice as stocks and another 20,000 metric tons as trading stocks, which could support five months’ consumption based on estimated usage in the state.
“As a long-term solution, my ministry has taken major initiatives to reduce our over-reliance on imported rice,” he said.
He said that among those key initiatives to boost rice production are the rehabilitation and improvement of infrastructure in rice producing areas.
He said that a total of about 150,000 hectares have been identified as areas for paddy production, but most of them either have no agricultural infrastructure or are in dilapidated conditions.
“Due to the poor state of infrastructure in most of these areas, farmers have either left their land idle or planted other lucrative crops like oil palm.”
“As a result, the total size of land currently under rice cultivation has decreased significantly to about 83,000 hectares in 2021,” he said.
He said the state Drainage and Irrigation Department is renovating the Tanjung Purun Scheme and the Kampung Pueh Scheme, both in Kuching Division, covering an area of 200 hectares at a cost of RM3.8 million under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
He said another project approved by the state DID for infrastructure upgrading is the rehabilitation of Mid-Sadong Scheme in Samarahan Division costing RM30 million covering more than 500 hectares and is in the planning stage.
“In this scheme, about 100 hectares in Kampung Lubok Punggor will be dedicated to the cultivation of a special variety of Biris rice,” he said, adding that the development of this project is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2023.
Rundie said a total of 90 hectares of existing paddy land in Lebor, Serian Division, would also be rehabilitated by the state Department of Agriculture (DoA), of which 30 hectares have been developed to date.
He said that another area in Abok, Panth in Sri Aman division, covering an area of 120 hectares, is also slated for upgradation under 12 MP.
Rundi said his ministry had approved 80 hectares in Kampung Mujat in Seri Division, at a cost of RM4.5 million, as among the new areas for paddy cultivation.
He said another new area for large-scale rice cultivation is in Selepong-Panggil in Sri Aman Division, adding that this project will be developed in phases and will start with an initial size of 600 hectares.
“When completed, this project has the potential to produce a double harvest of 5,400 metric tonnes of paddy annually,” he said.
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