TEBEDU: Sarawak is looking to establish a strategic partnership with Sambas district in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, to bolster its rice industry while raising the state’s food self-sufficiency level (SSL).
Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development, Datuk Martin Ben, said Sambas’ strong paddy production capacity offers valuable opportunities for a more organised cross-border collaboration.
He said that such an initiative is vital as Sarawak’s current SSL remains relatively low, making it necessary to tap into external sources to enhance food security.
“In Sarawak, we aim to contribute to Malaysia’s efforts in increasing the self-sufficiency level (SSL) for rice. Currently, our SSL is still below 30 per cent, whereas Sambas has already surpassed that figure.
“They produce a surplus of 63,000 metric tonnes of paddy after meeting the needs of their 640,000 population, leaving a significant excess,” he said in a TVS report during the 17th ‘Titian Muhibah’ Night Ceremony 2026 held here on Saturday (April 11).
Martin added that Sambas has agreed to supply up to 45,000 tonnes of paddy to Sarawak as an initial measure to strengthen the state’s food security.
He said that the collaboration would extend to joint efforts in processing and marketing agricultural products between both regions.
According to him, Sarawak’s strength in logistics infrastructure, including modern airports and ports, can be utilised to export agricultural products to international markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
At the same time, he urged local entrepreneurs to seize opportunities in the processing and collection of agricultural produce from West Kalimantan.
He stressed that the economic cooperation would further enhance Malaysia-Indonesia relations, which have traditionally centred on cultural, arts and heritage exchanges.
