The delegation from Hubei province meeting with Jeffrey.

KOTA KINABALU (July 10): Sabah is looking to boost its rice production through potential collaboration with China’s Hubei province, a leader in hybrid rice technology.

This development came to light during a meeting between Sabah’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Security Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and a delegation from Hubei led by Liu Xiaoming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People’s Congress.

Jeffrey expressed keen interest in Hubei’s agricultural expertise, noting that the Chinese province’s hybrid rice yield reaches 11.8 tons per hectare, compared to Sabah’s 9.1 tons.

“We are very interested in increasing Sabah’s rice production, and we also hope to cultivate and plant hybrid sea-rice to increase our rice production and strengthen national food security guarantees,” he said.

The meeting focused on potential cooperation in rice cultivation, agricultural technology innovation and the transfer of science and technology.

Liu highlighted Hubei’s strong agricultural research infrastructure and invited Jeffrey to visit the province’s relevant departments and research units in Hubei.

This potential partnership could significantly impact Sabah’s agricultural sector, potentially reducing the state’s dependence on rice imports and boosting local production.

It also represents a step forward in Malaysia-China agricultural cooperation at the regional level.

Published Date: July 10, 2024