DUN Sarawak: Orange/Banting rice paddy farm road reopened in 2028

KUCHING, 13 Oct: The 12.70 kilometre farm road construction work under the Orange/Banting Padi Desert Infrastructure Development Project, Sri Aman Division is expected to resume in 2028 after the related redesign and preparation process is completed.

Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development, Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail said that the Phase D1 (Block C) project had achieved progress of 70.73 per cent before physical work was temporarily stopped following termination of the original contract.

According to him, some key components of the project, including the location of the dam structure and the ranks of farm roads, are also undergoing changes that require a comprehensive review and redesign.

"The land acquisition process to support the implementation of the project will start in 2025 and be completed by early 2026, thus enabling further steps to ensure that infrastructure development can be implemented according to current needs", he said.

He said this while answering a question from Member of the National Assembly (DUN) Bukit Begunan, Datuk Mong Dagang, at the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) Conference here today.

Abdul Rahman said the project is currently in the process of appointing new consultants to carry out design review and necessary redesign work.

He said the tender assessment for appointment of negotiators is underway, while the official appointment is scheduled for early 2027.

"The physical construction of the farm road, along with other components under the respective irrigation and drainage infrastructure development project, is expected to be restarted in 2028 after the related redesign and preparation process has been completed", he said.

He said the government remains committed to providing the necessary infrastructure for farming roads to support the development of Lingga/Banting dense plain area especially in enhancing access to agricultural activities.