Agriculture and Food Security minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu (left) and his deputy Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup visiting the Jelapang Padi Batang Lupar on Wednesday. He said the government's target to increase the national rice self-sufficiency level could reach 80% by 2030 compared to the current achievement of 62.6%.

SIMANGGANG, Sarawak (Feb 8): The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) has set the floor price for paddy purchase in Sabah and Sarawak at RM1,300 per tonne starting from Feb 15.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the decision was made to increase the country’s rice production and standardise the floor price of paddy purchases in both states with the peninsula.

“At present, the price of paddy purchase in Sabah and Sarawak is relatively low, around RM900 to RM1,100 [per tonne]. This determination can help increase farmers’ income and encourage them to increase rice production,” he said.

He said this when speaking at a ceremony during a visit to Jelapang Padi Batang Lupar at Dewan Nangkai Stumbin here on Thursday. Also present were his deputy Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup; Sarawak Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail; and Sri Aman Development Agency (Sada) chairman Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim.

Mohamad said for the long term, the government needs to strengthen the nation’s food security by focusing on expanding paddy cultivation areas in Sabah and Sarawak by expanding the Ala Sekinchan Large-Scale SMART Padi Field Programme (SMART SBB) nationwide.

He added that the government’s target to increase the national rice self-sufficiency level could reach 80% by 2030 compared to the current achievement of 62.6%