SENIOR citizens have expressed their gratitude to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) for allotting them farming land under the ‘Community Project for Farmers of Mukim Pengkalan Batu’ and Koseka (Koperasi Setia Kawan) Bhd.
Hj Roslan Hj Yakub, the secretary of the Community Project, said at the launching ceremony of "Padi Planting Towards Achieving Self-Sufficiency in Rice Production in Brunei" at the Wasan padi field yesterday: "More than 70 farmers (all residents of Pangkalan Batu) are using the land provided by the ministry." Hj Roslan said the concerns of the farmers of Pangkalan Batu was irrigation as padi was waterintensive crop.
"Other issues are the need for help from the Agriculture Department, for example farming courses, showing the proper way and overall more practice," he added. The secretary also mentioned the need for subsidy and machines for some to be more efficient and the Agriculture Department buys the padi for approximately $1.60 per kilogramme depending on the quality.
A committee member, Hj Johari Mudin, said: "Currently the plots here are all taken up but we are hoping for new sites at Limau Manis and Junjungan. There have been plans to open up more sites for local farmers in the area and it’s been said that at Junjungan, one plot is around three hectares."
"Besides being able to make profits, some produce are also kept to feed our families and for that we thank His Majesty and the government for the opportunity," said Hj Johari who owns plots 40 to 42 at the site.
Hj Bujang, a 63-year-old retiree who is also part of the project, said that they usually obtain a yield of once per year. "This year we are targeting a yield of twice per year but the rats and pests haven’t been making it easy as they eat the roots of the plants during the night," he said.
He also said that the local farmers are at the field everyday to clean and look after it but it is difficult to do so at night to chase the pests away.
This sentiment was shared by Matali Hj Othman from Koseka Bhd, a corporation established amongst retired army personnel, stating that pest control was the main problem they face in taking care of the padi fields.
"Pests such as sparrows, snakes and field mice are amongst the obstacles in tending to the farm as they can affect how much yield we produce, so sometimes we have to contract outside labour to assist us in overcoming the pest problem," he said.
Hjh Habibah Hj Metali, another member of Koseka Bhd and wife to one of the retired army officers, said that she felt happy with His Majesty’s visit to the padi fields which has heightened her spirits and encouraged her to work harder to produce for the country.
The corporation, created in 2006, currently has 170 members, where they manage 218 lots of padi field, according to another member, PW2 (R) Alipin Gharif.
"We feel thankful for His Majesty and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, particularly the Department of Agriculture, for assisting us in our endeavour and subsiding a portion of the materials needed to tend to the fields," he said.
He added that the main reason for the establishment of the corporation was to fill in their free time by doing more productive work which can in turn help in developing the nation’s economy as well as produce rice for their own consumption.
"There’s a certain sense of satisfaction gained from seeing the end product created with your own two hands and that’s one of the reasons why most of us have taken up this initiative."
Regarding future programmes of the corporation, he mentioned that proposals for animal rearing were in the works but it was still under consideration
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