KUCHING, May 23 — An opposition backbencher today called on the Sarawak administration to enlighten the august House on the state’s food self-sufficiency level.

In making this call, Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Padungan) said the current administration should also tell the august House what its plans were to achieve food self-sufficiency in the state.

“The administration in their reply should provide us what is the status of our food self-sufficiency level and what they are going to do that is different from what has been done,” he said when debating the motion of appreciation on the Yang di-Pertua Negeri’s opening address.

Chong said he had been hearing a lot about Sarawak’s plans to achieve food self-sufficiency since he was elected into the House in 2006.

“What is our food self-sufficiency level?” he asked.

He also opined the current price hike in food items was due to the high level of food imports in the country.

“The increasing food prices is because we import a lot of food. We even import animal feed.

“As such, when the international situation is a bit of chaos (which leads to) weaker Ringgit, definitely animal feed prices will increases and this translates into higher prices of food,” he said.

According to him, Malaysia’s imports of food totalled about RM55 billion in 2020.

He said the minister-in-charge should enlighten the august House how much from this figure was for Sarawak.

He added if based on the state’s population, that was 10 per cent of the country’s total population, the food import value of Sarawak would be around RM4 billion to RM 5 billion. — Borneo Post Online

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/05/23/what-is-sarawaks-food-self-sufficiency-status-opposition-backbencher-asks-state-govt/8449