SIBURAN: The Sarawak Government is looking to revive paddy cultivation in the Sungai Serin area through hybrid paddy farming, with plans to expand the cultivation area to about 1,000 acres.
Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister, Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, said the Sungai Serin area, encompassing Kampung Skuduk, Kampung Chupak, Kampung Plaman Payang, Kampung Sungai Riset and Kampung Ma’ang, was once regarded as one of Sarawak’s rice bowls.
He said the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (M-FICORD) would coordinate with villagers and relevant agencies to revive paddy cultivation in the area.
“Previously, this area produced two paddy harvests a year. They tried a third harvest, but it was not successful.
“However, as younger generations preferred white-collar jobs, many of the paddy fields were left uncultivated.
“This is a big project. The cultivation area will cover about 1,000 acres, stretching from here to Kampung Nyabet and Kampung Ta’ee,” he told reporters after officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony for a road project at Kampung Skuduk here today.
Earlier in his speech, Sagah said the area’s irrigation infrastructure, developed by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), remained suitable for paddy cultivation.
He said substantial investments had previously been made in the irrigation scheme, but much of the farmland had since been left idle as fewer people took up paddy farming.
Sagah urged villagers to support the proposed scheme, adding that discussions on land use and payments should be carried out properly.
“I also seek the cooperation of Tebedu assemblyman, Dr Simon Sinang Bada, as we hope to extend the paddy cultivation area to Kampung Ta’ee and Kampung Nyabet. I hope this can become a major rice-producing area,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sagah encouraged young people to pursue modern agriculture through a programme under his ministry that sends Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) leavers to undergo mechanised paddy cultivation training at the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) in Kedah.
He said participants would receive the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Level Three, equivalent to a diploma, while gaining practical skills in modern paddy farming.
