Sarawak leads path to food security with hybrid rice, new research centre

Dato Sri Dr. Stephen Rundi (left) taking a closer look at the GS30 hybrid.

LUNDU, 10 June 2025: A walkabout session was held earlier today at the GS30 Hybrid Paddy Planting Site located in Tanjung Purun, Lundu, which was attended by the Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Dr. Stephen Rundi ak Utom.

The walkabout is aimed at showcasing BAJA Engineering’s journey with the hybrid seed planting initiative, which was initially planted three months ago on a test plot. Despite facing unfavourable factors like off-season cultivation, pest issues and soil acidity, the plot yielded approximately 9.3 - 10.5 metric tonnes per hectare, showcasing the GS30 hybrid’s strong genetic potential.

“With better timing, integrated pest management and soil correction measures like liming, we believe this variety can yield even more produce. Our goal is to continue refining our methods and share these findings with the wider farming community so we can all benefit from better productivity and resilience,” shared the CEO of BAJA Engineering Sdn Bhd, Juraimi bin Abdillah, who expressed a strong interest in becoming the official operator for hybrid paddy planting in Tanjung Purun, Lundu. 

In his speech, the BAJA Engineering CEO also shared future plans for paddy development in Sarawak, especially in rural and underutilised areas, which include the expansion of hybrid GS30 planting to Beladin and Bintangor, development of bio-fertiliser and pH-correcting soil amendments and supporting the Premier’s vision towards making Sarawak self-sufficient in rice by 2030.

Dato Sri Dr. Stephen Rundi during his speech.

“Currently, we are only self-sufficient for approximately 32% of our rice supply, which is far from the 60% needed to ensure our own food stability. If main rice exporters like Vietnam and India were to stop their exports in the future, our food security will be severely affected. We need approximately 450,000 metric tonnes of rice annually to meet the needs of the people, but we are only producing around 180,000 metric tonnes currently,” shared Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Dr. Stephen Rundi ak Utom, who stressed the need for a comprehensive agricultural ecosystem in Sarawak. 

Meanwhile, the Sarawak United National Youth Organisation (SABERKAS) has agreed in principle to establish a Research and Development Centre for Hybrid Seed in Tanjung Tuang, Sarawak. The centre will serve 3 key purposes namely development and localised production of the GS30 hybrid seed, research and design of new hybrid seed varieties tailored to local weather patterns, soil conditions and pest pressures and farmer training and knowledge transfer, with plans to conduct on-ground workshops and encourage the Sarawak youth to return to agriculture.

This centre of excellence, which is done in collaboration with Hubei Ceres Technology, is set to contribute significantly to the transformation of Sarawak’s rice industry, and on par with leading hybrid rice research institutions in the world, including those in the Philippines and China. 

During today’s walkabout at Tanjung Purun, Lundu.

Despite unfavourable factors, the test plot revealed GS30 hybrid’s strong genetic potential.

Each plot of the hybrid GS30 is able to yield between 9.3 - 10.5 metric tonnes per hectare.