Sabah's food paradox: The road to self-sufficiency

Borneo Post

3 days ago

Sabah is blessed with fertile soil, abundant rainfall, and incredible agricultural potential. Yet, it finds itself in a perplexing situation: it imports over 60% of its food, including essential staples like rice.
This dependency isn't just a matter of convenience; it's a serious vulnerability. In an era of climate disruptions, geopolitical instability, and fluctuating global markets, a shock to the worldwide supply chain could send ripples of price volatility and food insecurity across the state. This is especially true for rice, the most critical staple for many Sabahans.
The state's struggle for food security is complicated by a centralized federal system, especially when it comes to rice. Since 1996, the company Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) has held a federal monopoly over all rice imports into Malaysia. This gives BERNAS sweeping powers over imports, pricing, and national stockpile management.
While the intent behind BERNAS's concession is to safeguard national food security and stabilize farmer income, its implications for state autonomy — especially in Sabah and Sarawak — are profound. In Sabah, where the rice self-sufficiency level (SSL) hovers around 22.8%, the centralized import model severely restricts the state's ability to tailor responses to local shortages, price hikes, and regional preferences.
Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister I, Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, has consistently called for Sabah to manage at least 50% of its rice imports, framing it not as a request but as a constitutional right to address local needs and safeguard food security. As the state's Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister, Jeffrey emphasizes that Sabah's challenges differ significantly from those in Peninsular Malaysia and thus require decentralized control over rice imports and production.
This would empower both Sabah and Sarawak to respond more effectively to local supply-demand dynamics. Proposing a 50% share as a practical middle ground, he believes Sabah can demonstrate the benefits of localized management without fully dismantling the federal system, allowing for policy evaluation and adjustment.
Jeffrey is a vocal critic of the current rice import monopoly, arguing it stifles competition, hampers progress, and harms Sabah's economy. He warns that such centralized power fosters inefficiency and potential abuse, and rejects the notion that competition is harmful. On the contrary, he argues, competition drives innovation, efficiency, and better outcomes for both farmers and consumers.
Despite these strong arguments, federal authorities have stood firm, extending BERNAS's monopoly until 2031. They maintain that a single importer ensures price stability and strategic stockpile coordination. While Sabah has attempted to challenge this monopoly, such efforts are fraught with legal complexities, as rice is a federally regulated strategic commodity.
Nevertheless, Sabah is not standing still. The state government, through its GLC Sawit Kinabalu and the Agriculture Department, has launched a 100-hectare pilot padi project in Kampung Ongkilan. The goal is ambitious: to raise Sabah's rice self-sufficiency to 60% by 2030. With an investment of RM5 million, the project incorporates modern technology, including drone monitoring and efficient irrigation systems.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor has thrown his weight behind the effort. He has pointed out that 2,600 hectares of idle padi land remain untapped and has urged other GLCs to follow Sawit Kinabalu's lead. This is not just an agricultural initiative; it is a strategic economic push to reclaim local control over food security and revive Sabah's rural heartland.
Beyond regulatory issues, Sabah's food security challenges are rooted in physical and logistical disconnections.
Sabah's interior agricultural zones — from Keningau to Kudat — produce an abundance of food. But poor rural road networks, seasonal flooding, and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure render much of this food inaccessible. A sudden downpour can turn dirt roads into impassable swamps, leaving harvests stranded and spoiled in the field. Farmers bear high transport costs, and perishables rarely survive the journey to urban markets.
Investing in resilient farm-to-market roads is not just a development priority; it is a necessity. Without reliable road infrastructure, no amount of agricultural expansion or policy reform will translate into real food on tables.
The cold chain — the temperature-controlled storage and transport system vital for preserving perishables — is virtually nonexistent in most of Sabah's rural areas. Without cold storage, farmers experience post-harvest losses as high as 40%. This is not only an economic tragedy but a nutritional one.
Sabah must embrace innovations such as solar-powered cold rooms, already tested successfully in India and Africa. These solutions are especially relevant for Sabah's off-grid rural areas and align with the state's green development goals.
Simultaneously, smart irrigation systems are needed to mitigate the effects of erratic rainfall, which still dominates Sabah's agriculture and leads to inconsistent yields. Predictable production enabled by smart irrigation would lead to smoother, more cost-effective logistics down the line.
Finally, the state's traditional agricultural value chain, which moves from farmer to middleman to wholesaler to retailer, is long and inefficient. Sabah should pivot toward a direct-from-farm model, powered by digital platforms. This would shorten the supply chain, reduce spoilage and costs, and empower farmers to keep a larger share of the profits. Such a transition requires investment in localized distribution hubs, training in post-harvest handling, and user-friendly digital platforms that connect farmers directly with buyers.
Revamping Sabah's logistics system is not just a technical fix; it's a transformational policy that would touch every aspect of rural life. Better logistics mean higher incomes for farmers, more jobs in transportation, healthier diets for consumers, and stronger rural communities less dependent on external aid. Even forgotten infrastructure, like the railway to Tenom, could be revived as part of a modernized logistics system.
The key to Sabah's food security lies not only in growing more food but in ensuring that food moves efficiently, affordably, and reliably from farms to kitchens. This requires a three-pronged approach:
• Investment in Infrastructure: Fund roads, cold chains, and smart irrigation systems.
• Embracing Innovation: Pivot to digital farm-to-market models.
• Policy Reform: Open a dialogue with the federal government to reform policies that stifle state innovation, specifically regarding the rice import monopoly.
The current situation, where local food rots while imported goods fill supermarket shelves, is no longer tenable. Sabah must be empowered to act as a protector of its food destiny. If logistics is the lifeblood of agriculture, then Sabah's heart is in critical condition. It's time to fix the chain — technically, economically, and politically — before the system breaks beyond repair.