Strengthening Food Security Through Better Coordination Of Sarawak’s Rice Industry
KUCHING: Batu Kitang Assemblyman Dato Ir Lo Khere Chiang has voiced strong support for efforts to enhance Sarawak’s food security, describing them as timely and strategic in ensuring a more resilient and sustainable paddy and rice industry.
He said the initiative reflects a forward-looking approach to strengthening the sector through improved coordination and long-term planning.
This includes stronger coordination, better governance, improved monitoring, clearer accountability and more focused institutional capacity.
He noted that global uncertainties such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, climate change and disruptions in food supply chains have highlighted the importance of securing stable food sources, particularly staple items like rice.
Highlighting Sarawak’s relatively low rice self-sufficiency level, he stressed that heavy reliance on imports exposes the state to external risks, making it crucial to enhance local production capacity.
“Issues such as fragmented implementation, weak coordination, irrigation challenges and low productivity underscore the need for a more structured and focused approach.
“If previous implementation faced limitations, then the answer is a stronger coordination, better governance, improve monitoring, clearer accountability and more focused institutional capacity,” he said this while responding to a question from Padungan Assemblyman during the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting on Tuesday.
He further explained that strengthening institutional capacity would enable better planning, monitoring, infrastructure coordination and farmer support, while ensuring more effective governance of the sector.
He clarified that such efforts are aligned with existing legal frameworks and aim to enhance Sarawak’s ability to manage its agricultural development based on local needs and realities.
In concluding, the Batu Kitang Assemblyman emphasised that improving coordination and governance is key to addressing longstanding challenges, expressing confidence that these efforts will boost productivity, support farmers and strengthen Sarawak’s overall food resilience. -UKASnews
