Rice is a staple of Malaysians’ diet, and for years and decades, Malaysia has prided itself on our paddy industry. However, when we think of paddy fields, we often think of the states across Peninsula Malaysia such as Kedah and Perak in the north, and Kelantan and Terengganu on the East coast. What we don’t talk about as much is the paddy industry in Sabah and Sarawak, over in East Malaysia, which is vastly different from what we see here in Peninsula Malaysia. We speak to Dr Sarena Che Omar, deputy director of research with Khazanah Research Institute, on how we can cultivate the specialty rice industry.

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