SHAH ALAM, Jan 18 — The paddy cultivation method practised in Sekinchan, near here, will be expanded to other rice fields in Selangor, in line with the ‘Gelombang Padi’ initiative announced by the federal government two days ago.
Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said that this was due to the higher yield and quality of rice compared with other paddy cultivation areas in the state.
Amirudin said he had tasked two state executive councillors, who are assemblymen in the rice growing areas, Datuk Ng Suee Lim and Datuk Rizam Ismail to ensure the success of the initiative.
“The task is to see how to expand the cultivation method used in Sekinchan to other localities in Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam.
“We can see that Sekinchan’s rice production is quite high compared with other rice production areas, including Tanjong Karang and Sungai Panjang,” he said, after officiating at the Selangor Digital School graduation ceremony today.
Amirudin added that the old cultivation method of planting, waiting and harvesting could not ensure optimal rice yields.
“It’s not just machinery and technology, but the techniques and methods of looking after the crops throughout the rice planting season…it is no more 3T (plant, wait and harvest). This is what we will develop,” he said, adding that various latest technologies and techniques will be applied to ensure the best results.
Amirudin was previously reported to have said that the rice yield in Sekinchan is the highest in the country, with each hectare capable of producing as much as 12 tonnes of rice, compared with other states with around four tonnes.
On January 16, Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, announced that the ‘Gelombang Padi’ initiative would be mobilised this year, to increase the country’s paddy and rice industry to a more efficient and resilient level.
The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry has outlined 12 programmes which would transform the country’s paddy and rice industry, including introducing the Certified Paddy Seed Incentive (IBPS) programme.
Meanwhile, the Perlis government described the ‘Gelombang Padi’ initiative as a good effort by the federal government to solve the problem of poor soil conditions in paddy cultivation areas, and thus contribute to increasing the country’s rice production rate.
State Agriculture, Plantation and Food Industry Committee chairman, Razali Saad, said that 38.04 hectares of paddy fields suffered from poor soil conditions in the area of the Muda Agricultural Development Board (MADA) in Perlis, as of November last year.
“It is expected that the area with poor soil conditions will reach up to 500 hectares if this problem is not resolved immediately. We welcome the ‘Gelombang Padi’ initiative, and the direction of restoring this poor soil area to increase agricultural yields,” he said.
Razali said that, if the poor soil problem is not dealt with efficiently, it could cause farmers to suffer losses, as rice cannot be harvested because the machine will be stuck and cannot enter the paddy fields.
— Bernama
