@ AGROBiz | July-August . 2024

Abang Johari emphasises the need for Sarawak ’ s agriculture to move forward

He said this was why the State government renamed the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development to the Ministry of Food Industry , Commodity and Regional Development ( M-FICORD ).

“ What the Sarawak government is trying to do is change the whole perception of our agriculture and say that it is no longer a sector for the ‘ orang susah ’ or ‘ orang miskin ’ ( poor and needy ). Instead , it ’ s a sector for all ‘ usahawan tani ’ ( agropreneurs ),” said Abang Johari .

He said this at the closing of the Congress on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security ( COSAFS ) recently .

Abang Johari also emphasised the need for the State ’ s agriculture to move forward . For such transformation , he highlighted the three main components that it needs to work on - technology , infrastructure , and excess market .

The sustainable farming methods to increase productivity , he said , would be enhanced with the application of technology and the Internet of Things ( IoT ), which would include innovation in agricultural machinery and farming methods .

Abang Johari outlined the government ’ s ambitious plans for Sarawak ’ s rice production and self-sufficiency , including the identification of 3,000 hectares of land and the allocation of a significant budget for irrigation infrastructure development .

Abang Johari stressed the government ’ s unwavering commitment to invest in the agricultural sector , despite the substantial costs involved .

Abang Johari also witnessed the exchange of memorandum of understanding ( MoU ) documents between the Agriculture

Department and University Putra Malaysia ( UPM ).

Also present were M-FICORD Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom and his deputy Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail , as well as State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki .

During his speech at the inauguration of Sarawak AgroFest 2024 , Abang Johari said the State government would collaborate with experts to create an environment that can boost the growth of the agricultural sector in Sarawak .

“ We appreciate that the World Bank has recognised Sarawak as a high-income region in Malaysia for two consecutive years . “ With this economic progress ,

SARAWAK is gearing up to become Malaysia ’ s leading rice producer , aiming to challenge Kedah ’ s longstanding dominance in the sector .

Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg announced a bold initiative on June 11 , seeking RM1 billion from the federal government to support this venture .

The initiative plans to transform 10,000 hectares of land , an area about 20 times the size of Sentosa Island in Singapore , into productive rice fields . Sarawak ’ s commitment is underscored by its pledge to match federal funds on a one-to-one basis .

Following discussions with Minister of Agriculture and Food Security , Mohammad Sabu , Abang Johari mentioned : “ I requested for federal government support , pending approval from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim , who also serves as Finance Minister due to the substantial amount involved .

“ We continue to pursue this request . We are prepared to match funds on a one-to-one basis . If they allocate RM500 million , we will match it with RM500 million .”

The selected areas for this large-scale rice cultivation include Stumbin , Lingga and Tanjung Bijat

Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg .

our future looks promising . However , our objective is to translate this high income into higher household incomes . We want Sarawak to be something other than a State with a high income while its people are still struggling .

“ That ’ s why the Sarawak government is striving to increase household incomes in the State . One of the ways we aim to achieve this is by further enhancing the agricultural sector .”

Elaborating further , Abang Johari highlighted that the ministers in the state cabinet will collaborate to complete the necessary components that will shift the economic contributions of rural areas through the agricultural

in the Sri Aman district .

As Malaysia ’ s largest state by land area , Sarawak plans to leverage advanced technologies to enhance rice production . These include drone-assisted fertilisation and pest control , high-yielding hybrid seeds , and increased mechanisation for harvesting .

The target is an output of 240,000 tonnes of rice from the designated land . Abang Johari is optimistic that future production could reach 400,000 to 500,000 tonnes annually , potentially making Sarawak self-sufficient in rice and capable of exporting any surplus .

Currently , Sarawak produces about 150,000 tonnes of paddy from approximately 85,000 hectares , with an average yield of 1.8 tonnes per hectare , compared to the national average of 3.75 tonnes per hectare .

The state ’ s rice production includes indigenous varieties such as the highly valued Bario white rice , which is cultivated without pesticides and takes six months to mature . This contrasts with the regular white rice consumed by Malaysians , which has a ceiling price of MYR2.60 per kg . sector and food security .

“ To make this happen , we will continue to engage with experts to establish an ecosystem that can accelerate the development of the agricultural sector ,” he added .

Addressing the significance of the agricultural sector , Abang Johari emphasised the importance of rice cultivation .

“ We are currently developing the first phase in the Sri Aman area , Lingga , and Stumbin , as well as in Simunjan , Gedong , and Lundu . This requires an investment of RM500 million to develop the irrigation system ,” he stated .

“ After completing the first phase , we will proceed with the second phase in Limbang , Lawas , and other northern areas , including Bintulu and Miri . This will also require a substantial investment of an additional RM500 million to develop the infrastructure for rice cultivation .

“ In the end , our goal is to produce 400,000 metric tonnes of rice in Sarawak . We only need 240,000 metric tonnes for ourselves , and the surplus can be shared with our partners in Peninsular Malaysia . By the end of 2030 , Sarawak could potentially become the largest rice producer in Malaysia ,” he concluded .

Kedah , known as Malaysia ’ s “ rice bowl ,” accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the nation ’ s total paddy production , with an annual output of close to one million tonnes . Most of Malaysia ’ s primary rice crop is cultivated in the northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia , with Kelantan , Perlis , and Perak being significant contributors as well .

Malaysia has been grappling with a white rice shortage since 2023 , exacerbated by India ’ s export ban , which has driven up the prices of imported rice . India , followed by Pakistan , Thailand , and Vietnam , are key rice suppliers to Malaysia .

India ’ s export ban on nonbasmati white rice in July 2023 and subsequent restrictions on basmati and parboiled rice have further strained global rice supplies due to erratic weather conditions . – @ AGROBiz