Sabah, Sarawak Need Special Attention To Achieve 80 Pct Rice SSR Target By 2030

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Sabah and Sarawak need to be given special attention in an effort to increase the country’s rice Self-Sufficiency Ratio (SSR) to 80 per cent by 2030, given that production levels in both states remain low compared to the Peninsula.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the rice SSR in Peninsular Malaysia reached 61.6 per cent in 2023, while the rates for Sabah and Sarawak were estimated at just over 20 per cent, compared with the national rate of 54.3 per cent.

“So, if means that if we want to raise the SSR for the whole country, then drastic measures must be taken in Sabah and Sarawak to help achieve the 80 per cent target,” he said.

He said this when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2027 for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) at the committee stage in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Chan said although the country’s rice SSR increased from 52.9 per cent in 2022 to 54.3 per cent in 2023, the target of 80 per cent by 2030 remained a long way off due to various challenges, including disease outbreaks, climate change and a reduction in paddy cultivation areas.

He said the government would continue implementing various strategic initiatives to increase production, including the use of modern technology, soil fertility treatments, improvements to irrigation and drainage infrastructure, as well as the use of high-quality, disease-resistant paddy seeds.

He added that the measures also included five paddy planting seasons within two years and expanding the SMART Large-Scale Paddy Field (SMART SBB) programme to increase productivity and farmers’ income.

“The government also encourages cooperation with state governments to expand paddy cultivation areas through the exploration of new areas and implementation of large-scale planting initiatives, as undertaken by Sarawak and Selangor,” he added.

He said Sarawak had identified about 14,000 hectares of potential land for paddy cultivation and allocated RM1 billion of its own funds to develop the industry.

In Selangor, he said the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS) implemented large-scale paddy field projects to increase rice production and help boost farmers’ income.

On SMART SBB, Chan said the programme, introduced in 2021, had grown from two pilot project companies to 25 leading companies, involving 23,441 paddy farmers in 45 locations covering a total area of 53,700 hectares.

He said the average yield recorded under the programme was about 4.5 tonnes per hectare as of October 2024, and the government had also allocated RM2.62 billion each in 2024 and 2025 for subsidies and assistance to paddy farmers.

“The subsidies and incentives include input assistance such as fertilisers, pesticides and certified paddy seeds, in addition to the Paddy Price Subsidy Scheme (SSHP), Paddy Crop Takaful Scheme (STTP), harvesting incentives and the price adjustment of imported white rice in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan,” he added.

In a related development, Chan said among the approaches that could be considered for improving the country’s paddy industry was the transition from input-based subsidies to output-based subsidies, as well as the possibility of reviewing the price float mechanism for domestic rice.

However, he admitted that floating rice prices was a sensitive issue because it was necessary to balance the interests of paddy farmers with the needs of consumers for an affordable rice supply.

Following that, Chan recommended that the Special Select Committee on Domestic Trade, Entrepreneurship, Cost of Living and Agriculture take a more proactive approach in exploring studies or proposals to improve the country’s paddy industry.

The Dewan Rakyat then approved the 2027 operating and development expenditure estimate amounting to RM6,918,863,200 allocated to KPKM under Budget 2027, with a majority vote, after 25 Members of Parliament had participated in the debate.

-- BERNAMA