SOME 100 women were given the opportunity to experience manual padi harvesting first-hand yesterday at the Wasan padi fields, in efforts to get women involved in communal activities that generate income for the country.
Organised for the first time by the Muslimah Section at the Department of Mosque Affairs (Brunei-Muara), the event saw 100 women from 17 mosques in the Brunei-Muara District getting their hands dirty to experience daily activities of farmers in the country.
“Women also have a role to play when it comes to generating the economy,” said Dk Hjh Maswita Pg Hj Sabtu, a religious officer from the Brunei-Muara Mosque Affairs Department.
The officer added that the project was also to organise a get-together for the women to strengthen their relations with one another.
The project, which started early in the morning, was held at one of the lots owned by a local farmer, Hj Chuchu Hj Ibrahim, a member of the Koperasi Setia Kawan Bhd (Koseka).
Aside from women, youths have also been given the opportunity to gain first-hand experience on padi plantation and learn more about the use of modern science in agriculture.
These youths were the first batch of students taking National Diploma in Agricultural Science at the the Wasan Vocational School.
The school’s padi planting project is currently being implemented in collaboration with the the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood (DAA) under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and experts from the Philippines Rice Research Institute.
The padi project consists of a 100 square metre land where students are being taught padi farming techniques.
As a motivating incentive for more students to take up farming as a vocation, the DAA is also considering awarding the students with a piece of land after their graduation.
The Laila rice project, which was initiated by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last year, aims to contribute to the country’s agricultural development and help the national economy.
Formerly known as Brunei Darussalam Rice 1 (BDR1), the variety was renamed “Laila” during the launch of the “Padi Planting Towards Achieving Self-Sufficiency of Rice Production in Brunei Darussalam” ceremony at the Wasan padi fields which was led by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in April 2008.
Laila rice, as reported by the DAA, is said to be able to produce three metric tonnes of rice per hectare, three times more than the previous varieties used in the Sultanate.
The government is targeting to increase rice self-sufficiency from 2.77 per cent in 2008 to 20 per cent in 2010 and 60 per cent in 2015. Seen as an ambitious target by some, DAA has taken certain measures to spur rice production, such as the introduction of new padi fields and a subsidy scheme for farmers.
The government is also committed to improving infrastructure, using high-yield rice varieties, organising harvest festivals to promote locally-produced rice and collaborating with China, the Philippines and Korea in agriculture.
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