Curb reduction of rice areas call

THE steady decline of rice cultivation areas in Tandek requires attention to curb further reduction, especially with rice being a staple food.

“We cannot depend on imports from other riceproducing countries,” said Tandek assemblywoman Datuk Anita Baranting, in case export restrictions were imposed.

“As of now, we are still able to get adequate supply of rice from China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand. But I fear that if restrictions were to be imposed, we would face a shortage of rice if our fields are not properly taken care of.

“If Malaysia, and Sabah in particular, is able to produce enough of this staple food, we would not have to depend on import as we would be able to provide for ourselves. Eventually, we could even become an exporter of the product.

“There is still space to be cultivated as paddy fields and I am sure it would contribute greatly towards fulfilling the consumption demands of our people,” she said.

Speaking at the State Assembly sitting yesterday, Anita said rice cultivation areas in Kota Marudu had diminished from 6,403 hectares in 2014 to 5,484.61 hectares in 2018, due to damage caused by major flooding.

Although maintenance work had been done following the natural disaster, Anita said it was not enough and required more work to get the fields back to its earlier state.

“With the continued decline in paddy field areas, rice cultivators suffer financial setbacks as they are not able to obtain as much harvest as before.

“Rice cultivation is a source of income for the locals, and support from the government would greatly aid in their livelihood.

“Irrigation systems need upgrading and the water pump at Kampung Timbang Batu also requires changing, as it is outdated and damaged and hadn’t been functioning properly for years.

“As a result, some areas which were previously used for rice cultivation are now being used to plant rubber trees and banana trees, while others were reworked by owners to build houses,” she said.

In addition, Anita urged the government to look into the selling price of rice for cultivators, which is far cheaper than the increasing price in the market, especially given the drop in farmer subsidies.