GEDONG, Oct 6 — Sarawak has the capability to cater for 80 per cent of rice needed in the state through a pilot project to plant hybrid paddy that will start yielding in three to five years from now.
Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said the location for the hybrid paddy planting project had been identified in Lubok Punggor here, Tanjung Bijat (Sri Aman), Spaoh (Betong) and Tanjung Purun (Lundu) with a total land area of 10,000 hectares.
“If we plant 10,000 hectares with hybrid paddy, we will be able to harvest 200,000 tonnes (rice) a year and cater for 80 per cent of the rice needed in Sarawak,” he told reporters after visiting the site for the hybrid paddy planting project in Kampung Lubok Punggor, here today.
According to the Premier, the hybrid paddy was developed by experts from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) by using various types of seedlings from Vietnam that can yield three times more paddy than normal planting methods.
He added that two types of hybrid paddy was developed by UPM with the collaboration of a private company, Global Farm Biotech Sdn Bhd.
Abang Johari said currently Sarawak’s rice production was only able to cater for 34 per cent of the rice needed in the state and according to the statistics from Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas), last year Sarawak managed to produce 83,000 metric tonnes of rice and imported 145,468 metric tonnes.
He added that the hybrid paddy planting would be expanded to other areas in the state.
“We want the Federal Government to assist us in preparing infrastructure and by 2030, maybe Sarawak will become the rice bowl of Malaysia and probably start exporting rice in the future,” he said. — Bernama
