KUCHING, March 10 — The Sarawak government will provide 1,500 hectares of land for rice production to ensure food security in Malaysia, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.

He said the rice cultivation project will be carried out in stages using the allocation from the federal government, totalling RM173 million.

"I estimate that the amount may not be sufficient, so we (the state government) will provide allocations in this rice planting project, which requires irrigation systems as the costs are quite high,” he told reporters after visiting the Rice Bowl project site in Stumbin, Sri Aman, here today.

Abang Johari said the state government has also provided allocations for padi farming projects in southern Sarawak, including Simunjan, Gedong, and Sri Aman, as well as northern areas, including Limbang and Lawas.

He said the statewide project would adopt the method farmers in Kampung Lubok Punggor used, utilising new technologies and hybrid rice varieties.

"We have conducted a study with Universiti Putra Malaysia, where one hectare (of padi field) can be cultivated for five seasons within 24 months, yielding eight tonnes of rice.

"This will serve as a padi cultivation model for other areas. Sarawak plans to develop about 20,000 hectares of land for this project,” he said, adding that this will enable Sarawak to raise the country’s rice production by 100 per cent by 2030. — Bernama

* An earlier version of this article contained an error by Bernama which has since been rectified.