Sarawak to establish paddy and rice board

KUCHING, May 9 2026: The Sarawak government will establish the Sarawak Paddy and Rice Board with the tabling of a Bill at next week’s sitting of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (SL A).

Caption: Speaker Asfia Awang Nasar flanked by his deputy Idris Buang (left) and SLA secretary Nur Azhar Bujang

The Bill will be tabled by tabled by Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development  Minister Dr Stephen Rundi Utom on May 12.

SLA Speaker Asfia Awang Nasar said the Sarawak Paddy and Rice Board Bill is one the four that will be tabled in SLA.

The others are the Supplementary Supply Bill (2025) 2026, Supplementary Supply Bill (2026) 2026, and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2026.

SLA will sit from May 11 to 20 (excluding Saturday and Sunday).

Asfia said 333 questions, including oral and written questions, had been received from 39 State Legislative Members (SLMs).

Of the total, 254 questions were for oral answers involving 37 SLMs, while the other 79 were written questions from 15 SLMs.

He added that the Premier's Department received the highest number of questions with 50 questions submitted.

Sarawak Governor Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar open the SLA sitting on 11 May 2026.