Malaysia will spend $1.3bn to achieve food security and turn the Borneo state of Sarawak into a "rice bowl' for the nation, in response to surging agricultural prices and fears of shortages. The plan to stockpile food and increase domestic production of rice, fruits and vegetables would bring Malaysia closer to self-sufficiency, Abdullah Badawi, prime minister, said at the weekend. Prices for basic foods have risen sharply in recent months. Last week rice hit $1,000 a tonne globally for the first time as importers scrambled to secure supplies and exacerbated tightness caused by export restrictions in several countries. Malaysia has depended on rice imports. Local production meets only about two-thirds of the 2m tonnes demanded annually by the country's 27m people. Malaysia's inflation rate is expected to reach 3 per cent this year because of higher food and fuel prices