JERTIH - The government is working to further expand the Ala Sekinchan Large-Scale Smart Padi Field (Smart SBB) project throughout the country, including in Sabah and Sarawak.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the move would be taken to meet local rice needs, especially for states affected by the yearly monsoon season.
"Currently, the rice production in Sabah and Sarawak is still low lto meet the needs of their population, but we are confident that in the long term, the two states can become rice producing, not only for their own consumption, but also to other states,” he said.
Mohamad told reporters this at a "Santai Agro Madani Penuaian Program Smart SBB Ala Sekinchan” programme at Kampung Gerai here today.
Beside Sabah and Sarawak, he said, the ministry also received good response from other states, such as Pahang and Johor, to carry out the programme which involves integrated padi farming using modern technology to increase the crop yield and better quality rice.
He said the Smart SBB Ala Sekinchan programme which was introduced at the end of 2021 was now implemented almost all over the country, involving almost 10,000 farmers and covering over 26,000 hectares of padi fields.
In a related development, Mohamad said the government will re-examine the padi planting schedule, especially in the East Coast states, so that the harvesting season falls before the arrival of the monsoon season.
This way, we can reduce the losses suffered by farmers whose padie fields are in flood-risk areas, he added. - BERNAMA