Sabah To Boost Padi Productivity In Six Main Districts

KOTA KINABALU, July 7 (Bernama) -- The Sabah Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry will implement initiatives to enhance padi productivity in six main districts, namely Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Tuaran, Tambunan, Keningau and Papar, the State Legislative Assembly was told today.

Assistant Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Hendrus Anding said to achieve this, the Sabah Rice and Padi Board (LPBS) has identified 121.4 hectares of padi fields in Tambunan as a pilot project for modern high-yield padi farming.

“This pilot project will utilise full automation and mechanisation, along with scheduled water management. The ministry, through the Department of Agriculture, is implementing various initiatives to enhance the productivity and quality of agricultural products such as fruits, coffee and padi in the state.

“The Quality Padi Production Scheme is also being implemented through the development of seed production satellite farms, particularly for the TR8 variety, supported by three padi seed production centres in Papar, Tenom and Kota Belud,” he said.

He said this in response to a question from Datuk Rubin Balang (GRS-Kemabong), who asked about the ministry’s efforts to boost crop yields, particularly for fruits, coffee and padi in the state.

Hendrus said the ministry was also implementing a restoration project involving 7,392 hectares of abandoned padi fields in stages, with 437.57 hectares successfully restored last year.

“The ministry has also implemented the Two-Season-a-Year Planting Campaign in selected padi fields using the Rice Check technology package and the Centralised Management Farming System,” he said.

Hendrus added that the ministry launched the Sabah State-Level Rural Agricultural Economic Revolution in Tambunan on April 28, with the objective of increasing agricultural productivity and food security through wider community participation in agriculture.

Hendrus said agricultural mechanisation and automation initiatives were also being expanded through the use of modern technology, including ploughing machinery, drones and the Internet of Things (IoT), to improve farm operation efficiency.

“This approach not only helps address labour shortages but also enhances accuracy and safety in the application of agricultural inputs such as fertiliser and pesticide spraying,” he said.

-- BERNAMA