Agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu said the move would be taken to meet local rice needs, especially for states affected by the yearly monsoon season.

“Currently, rice production in Sabah and Sarawak is still low in meeting the needs of their population.

“However, we are confident that in the long term, the two states can become rice producers, not only for their own consumption but also to meet the needs of other states.”

Mohamad spoke at an Ala Sekinchan Smart SBB harvesting programme at Kampung Gerai here.

Besides Sabah and Sarawak, Mohamad said the ministry had 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 crop yield and produce better quality rice.

He said the Ala Sekinchan Smart SBB programme, introduced at the end of 2021, had been implemented almost all over the country.

It now involves almost 10,000 farmers and covers more than 26,000ha of padi fields.

In a related development, Mohamad said the government would re-examine the padi planting schedule, especially in east coast states, so that the harvesting season falls before the arrival of the monsoon season.

This way, farmers can reduce losses suffered during floods, he added.