By Francis Chan onFrom the Byline
The road to rice self-sufficiency also lies in hybrid seeds and modern agricultural technology. — Bernama photo
PREMIER Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg recently highlighted the urgent need for Sarawak to modernise rice planting as part of a broader goal to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.
His concern is not new – various state leaders have raised this issue over the years, as Sarawak has long depended on imported rice, leaving it vulnerable to global supply disruptions.
This vulnerability has become more pronounced in light of increasing environmental devastation caused by climate change, which has severely disrupted rice production in exporting countries.
The global trade upheavals triggered by the tariff wars initiated under the US President Trump administration have further exacerbated this precarious situation.
Currently, Sarawak produces only about 30 per cent of its annual rice requirement of 240,000 tonnes. To bridge the shortfall, the state would need to produce an additional 168,000 tonnes – no small feat, but not impossible either.
However, it must be acknowledged that this is a long-term effort and cannot be achieved within a short timeframe.
Past efforts to mechanise rice planting illustrate this point.
Some years back, when the state government announced plans to modernise rice farming, a senior minister prematurely claimed that padi would be harvested from mechanised farms within a year.
That overly-optimistic timeline reflected a lack of understanding of the real challenges involved in large-scale rice cultivation.
The first hurdle is a persistent one – labour shortage. Encouraging more people, especially youth, to take up rice farming is critical.
However, many young people are drawn to urban jobs offering monthly salaries, preferring these to the uncertain income of working in the padi fields.
Farmers, too, are often reluctant to plant padi due to the relatively low returns compared to other commercial crops, as rice prices are subjected to control and regulation.
Prices are capped at RM2.60 for locally-grown rice to keep rice affordable for consumers.
This creates significant challenges for farmers and millers as they are unable to adjust prices of their produce in the face of rising production costs.
At the national level, padi farmers in key rice producing states like Kedah, many of the farmers are in debt.
To offset the impact of price control, the federal government provides subsidies to padi farmers and this year RM150 million was allocated for these subsidies.
In Japan, to prevent farmers from abandoning their rice fields, the government encourages farmers to reduce the area under rice cultivation and diversify into other crops.
This measure helped control rice production and maintain price stability, thereby ensuring the viability of rice farming.
Arable land remains a major challenge for any agricultural venture.
To address this problem, Premier Abang Johari has disclosed that 10,000 hectares of land in Gedong have been earmarked for rice production, with plans to expand into areas such as Lundu, Lingga, Spaoh, Limbang, and Lawas.
However, preparing land for rice farming requires significant infrastructure and technological investments.
According to Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development Dato Sri Stephen Rundi, the state needs 17,500 hectares of new planting areas equipped with tertiary infrastructure to achieve full self-sufficiency.
He estimated Drainage and Irrigation Schemes with an estimated cost of RM4.68 billion would be required to prepare these new areas for planting.
More funds will be required to invest in post-harvest processing and storage facilities and marketing infrastructure.
The road to self-sufficiency also lies in hybrid seeds and modern agricultural technology.
A pilot project in Gedong, for example, has shown promising results – yielding eight tonnes of rice per hectare from two planting cycles per year.
While this is encouraging, replicating such yields on a large scale is a far more complex task.
Because large-scale padi farming requires robust drainages and transport infrastructure, investments well beyond the reach of smallholders.
At the same time, big corporations may be hesitant to commit due to the high upfront costs and long-term horizon.
Despite all these challenges, with the government’s commitment to providing land, investing in infrastructure, and supporting research and mechanisation, Sarawak is in a strong position to realise its rice self-sufficiency target.
The sticking point remains – getting local farmers on board and securing enough manpower to work the padi fields.
A potential solution lies in tapping into foreign labour, a strategy that has proven successful in the oil palm industry.
padi rice sarawak self sufficiency
