KUALA LUMPUR, 21 OCT – The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) is exploring potential areas in Sabah and Sarawak to be developed as national rice granaries, thereby increasing the country’s rice production.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said that this step is important because the demand for rice is increasing and the production in rice granaries in the peninsula is not enough.
“Demand for the country’s staple food such as rice is high, and when there is an insufficiency, it becomes a serious issue because the majority of Malaysians, including foreign workers numbering between two to three million people, also depend on rice as their main food,” he said.
Mohamad Sabu said that efforts to meet the country’s rice supply needs to be increased because alternative foods such as maize cannot meet the needs of the people. Therefore, exploring potential areas in Sarawak and Sabah is a priority, especially in the upcoming Malaysia Plan, to ensure sufficient rice supply.
“Even if the people have eaten two canai roti or a plate of fried noodles, they still want rice. That is why we need to focus on this effort,” he said in a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Answering a supplementary question from Fathul Huzir Ayob (PN-Gerik), Mohamad Sabu explained that the ministry is considering various initiatives to reduce dependence on rice as the country’s main source of carbohydrates. Among the plans considered is to introduce alternative crops such as tubers that can be used as the main source of carbohydrates.
He stressed that this effort is important to diversify food sources and reduce the risk of insufficient rice supply in the future.
Mohamad explained that Sarawak has offered to develop a national rice granary with an allocation of RM500 million from the state government. In addition, Sarawak hopes to get an additional RM500 million from the Federal Government to develop a 5,000-hectare rice plantation area in the state.
Responding to Fathul Huzir’s original question about the national food supply guarantee, he assured that the supply of rice is still sufficient in the market to meet the needs of the people.
According to him, until October, the total amount of rice stock, including the stockpile, is as much as 1.1 million metric tons, which is expected to be enough for five to six months. – Named