PETALING JAYA - Using hybrid rice seeds from Vietnam, Sarawak is targeting to produce 240,000 tonnes of rice a year, said Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
According to reports in Borneo Post, he said the pilot project will be carried out in Lubok Punggor.
"The seeds will then be planted on 10,000 hectares identified by the state.
"We can produce the seeds and multiply them for the whole of Sarawak," he told reporters at the Dewan Datuk Patinggi Ali in Gedong, Kuching.
Abang Johari said one seed will be able to produce about 40 stalks of padi and the waste can be turned into fertiliser to enrich the land.
"The use of these hybrid seeds will also encourage paddy farmers to shift their methods of cultivation.
"We can learn from Vietnam and our target is to produce 240,000 tonnes per year which means we will have a surplus to be used for food downstream activities," he said.
Earlier in his speech at the TV Sarawak Prihatin Programme, Abang Johari said the state's rice production was now at three tonnes per hectare per harvest.
"I shared information about our pilot padi project with other states and also with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"I told them that we will produce rice in three seasons per year using these hybrid seeds from Vietnam," added the premier. - The Vibes, November 11, 2023
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