LOW SABAH RICE PRODUCTION A CONCERN

THE FARMING community in the country need to make the agriculture sector a part of the global supply chain to generate more income, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the opening of the 39th Annual General Meeting of the National Farmers Association (Nafas) in Kuala Lumpur recently.

He said in order to achieve this, the agriculture sector must have a strong Research and Development (R&D) component that can help it to innovate, increase production and push its primary commodities all the way up the value chains.

"I want to see elements of innovation absorbed in agriculture because I am confident and believe the agriculture sector can still boost its production and productivity to an optimum level without opening up more land, which is limited," he said.

Najib stressed that productivity can be increased through the application of R&D, innovation and best possible practice.

The Prime Minister said that the government has also introduced several new initiatives for the development and progress of the agriculture sector including through the Rural Transformation Centres (RTCs) earlier this year.

The RTCs are part of the government's efforts to provide assistance and support for the development of the rural community.

"Through the RTC, we can turn a place into a centre to purchase and stock up on all types of agricultural goods from the surrounding areas," Najib commented.

Najib said that in order to meet the food demand of the nation, the agriculture sector must provide enough food without resorting to imports. Clear policies and proactive measures must be taken to ensure the nation's food supply adequacy and security.

"Under the agriculture sector NKEA, 16 entry point projects (EPP) have been identified and three involve the rice and paddy sector. Other agriculture sectors include herbal plants, livestock and aquaculture," Najib said.

According to Najib, the efforts and initiatives carried out by the government was also to tackle the worrying global food supply crisis.

"Between 2002 and 2008 alone, the basic food index in the global market rose 190 percent for maize, 162 percent for flour, 318 percent for rice and 246 percent for soya beans," he said.

Furthermore, Najib pointed out that the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations reported in 2012 that food imports by poor countries have risen by 11 percent while food imports by food producing nations have gone up by 20 percent.

In Sabah, fruits, vegetables and other food crops contribute 24.4 million to the state's revenue. The production of fruits and vegetables in the state are highly satisfactory and have almost achieved the State's Self-Sufficiency levels (SSL), at 94 percent and 89 percent respectively.

The lower production of rice remains a concern for the state, with production only at 30 percent SSL. This is half the target set by the government at 60 percent SSL.

Sabah currently imports approximately 70 percent of its rice requirements. This is around 220,000 tonnes a year, with an estimated cost of more than RM1 billion.

To tackle this, the 2013 National Budget has allocated RM140 million to develop four rice granaries including one in Kota Belud. (Insight Sabah)