KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs to increase the production of rice, corn and onions to reduce its dependence on imported food worth about RM2 billion annually, said Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar.
He said the three commodities had strong potential to be produced on a larger scale in Sabah, given the state's ample land availability.
“Rice accounts for about RM1 billion, corn RM600 million and onions RM400 million, bringing the total to almost RM2 billion a year.
“We have not even included soybeans, wheat and others. So, this is an opportunity that young people can take up,” he said.
Jamawi said the three commodities were the biggest contributors to Sabah's food import bill, despite having the potential to be produced locally.
To increase paddy production, he said the ministry had introduced a mini-estate programme to match owners who could no longer cultivate their paddy fields, or whose children were not interested in doing so, with companies interested in large-scale paddy farming.
“So far, six companies have signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs), while another 19 companies are waiting to secure suitable land to be developed as paddy cultivation areas,” he said when met by the media after the Sabah Agro Expo (SAEX) 2026 here on Saturday.
On corn production, Jamawi said the Government had allocated RM20 million over about five years as an incentive for the commodity.
“We will use large-scale production and mechanisation, machinery, drones and so on so that we can reduce the cost of corn production.
“In Kota Marudu, we have already tried it and the production cost is about 90 sen to RM1 per kilogramme, while the import price is about RM1.60 per kilogramme.
“This means that if we grow it in our state, it can still be profitable for producers,” he said.
He said onion production also had the potential to be expanded as part of efforts to increase local food production and reduce dependence on imports.
Jamawi also encouraged young people to seek information and assistance from government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Veterinary Services and other relevant agencies before starting or expanding agricultural ventures.
“Various forms of assistance, including crop incentives, training and courses related to agriculture and livestock, are available to help them.
“With the Rural Development Cooperative, there are also courses on making bongkar, mushrooms, chicken farming and so on.
“I hope young people will come to these agencies to obtain information. In fact, today they have opened booths and stalls to provide information on how to venture into agriculture, fisheries, livestock and so on,” he said.
Jamawi said interest-free loans of up to RM100,000 without collateral were also available through state government lending institutions to help entrepreneurs expand their businesses.
About 200 exhibitors took part in SAEX 2026, which was held for three days from Friday, with 65 per cent of participants aged 40 and below.
Also present were Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Ministry (MAFFI) permanent secretary Datuk Ts Jifrin Mohamad, ESM Exhibitor Relations Malaysia managing director Datuk Dayang Khatijah Datu Bachtiyal, and MAFFI deputy permanent secretaries Maria David Edick and Shariffah Aznoor.
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