RM326 Mln For Sarawak Agri Sector Under 2026 State Budget -- Stephen Rundi

KUCHING, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- Sarawak’s Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development has been allocated RM326 million under the state Budget 2026, said its minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.

He said the allocation, an increase of RM145 million as compared to the amount received for 2025, would facilitate the ministry in pursuing the state agriculture transformation agenda.

“This significant investment will strengthen efforts to modernise the agriculture sector through digital technologies, encourage greater private sector involvement and build a complete supply chain,” he said when winding up the debate for his ministry at the State Legislative Assembly sitting here today.

He said the agriculture sector continued to play an important role in Sarawak’s economy, contributing RM15.1 billion to the state's gross domestic product in 2024 and providing employment to about 247,400 people.

Rundi said that although the sector showed encouraging growth, Sarawak must continue scaling up food production, particularly rice, fruits, vegetables, fisheries and livestock, to reduce the food trade deficit and safeguard food security.

He said the government is intensifying efforts to boost rice production after Sarawak’s self-sufficiency level declined to 21 per cent in 2024, with paddy output expected to drop further in 2025.

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“To address this shortfall, the state government has undertaken comprehensive reforms in commercial paddy development, including new project development under the design-build-operate-transfer (DBOT) model, irrigation upgrades and enhanced private sector participation,” he said.

He said about 15,000 hectares have been identified for large-scale paddy development in Tanjung Datu, Batu Danau and Bukit Begunan, with 6,100 hectares already approved for implementation.

According to Rundi, trial results from research on a high-yielding and resilient rice variety, carried out in collaboration with the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and three local universities in Stumbin, Sri Aman, showed that the variety had 30 per cent higher yields than the control variety, MR297.

“The state Cabinet had also endorsed the establishment of the Sarawak Paddy and Rice Board. The board will serve as the central authority to coordinate, regulate and oversee all aspects of the paddy and rice industry in Sarawak,” he added. 

-- BERNAMA