Minister of Food Industry, Commodities, and Regional Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Dr. Stephen Rundi Utom during a press conference. Photo by TVS
MIRI, July 15: The Sarawak government requires at least RM1 billion to develop 3,000 hectares of new land in Southern Sarawak as part of the process to establish Sarawak as a rice bowl.
Sarawak Minister of Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development, Dato Sri Dr. Stephen Rundi Utom, said that the government is in discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to secure half of this amount.
“We aim to establish Sarawak as a rice bowl. Therefore, providing the necessary infrastructure is very costly. So far, the Premier has allocated RM500 million. We have set aside RM500 million from our own funds, and we also hope to obtain another RM500 million from the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
“We are still discussing this matter. We are exploring what we can do. However, to develop the 3,000 hectares of new land in Southern Sarawak, we need no less than RM1 billion,” he said.
He said this while representing the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, at the 16th National Seminar (NATSEM) 2024 on Opportunities and Strategies to Increase Oil Palm Business Profits at a hotel on Monday.
Additionally, his ministry is also planning to establish designated zones or gazette areas for rice cultivation to encourage more farmers to engage in rice planting.
He stated that they have brought this proposal to the Sarawak government because, so far, rice cultivation has shown a declining trend compared to other crops like oil palm, which yield better returns.
“No one, especially the younger generation, wants to get involved in rice cultivation due to the rain and sun. Moreover, the returns are not as lucrative as other crops. Therefore, I have proposed to the Sarawak government that we create designated zones for rice. Or perhaps we need to gazette these areas for rice. This is because most rice areas are currently showing a declining trend as they have been converted to oil palm and other crops,” he added.
This seminar is conducted to provide knowledge to farmers and to encourage general interest in the profession, with 850 participants attending, including those from Peninsular Malaysia. -TVS
