Sabah says rice supplies are stable through September
Sabah officials say the state has enough rice to last through September despite local shortfalls, with fresh stocks on the way and a parallel push to raise local output by improving yields and bringing abandoned padi land back into production.
Sabah has enough rice supply to last until September, according to state Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industries minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar. He said some districts are facing temporary shortfalls, but Sabah Bernas has informed the government that fresh stocks will be sent to those areas soon. Jamawi urged consumers not to panic buy and said the state is continuously monitoring food supply conditions.
Officials are trying to stabilise the market through a mix of short-term and structural measures. Jamawi said the government is working to raise local crop yields, identify the problems that are holding yields back, and open more land for padi planting. He specifically pointed to abandoned fields in Kota Belud, Terusan Sapi, Telupid, Tambunan, Keningau and Tenom as areas that can be brought back into production.
The minister also acknowledged that Sabah still depends on imported rice to meet demand. That makes the policy response significant from an agri-economic perspective: the state is using logistics and restocking to avoid immediate shortages while trying to widen its domestic production base over time. For the farm sector, the message is that restoring underused padi land and fixing productivity constraints will remain central if Sabah wants to reduce exposure to external supply shocks.