'Bangladesh can help Brunei yield rice varieties to meet 2035 self-sufficiency target'

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BRUNEI-MUARA
Saturday, December 17, 2011

THE Bangladesh High Commissioner to Brunei lauded the drive by His Majesty's government to aim for self-sufficiency in local rice production, and expressed his country's desire to share expertise and experience with regards to high-yield rice varieties.

High Commisioner M Shameem Ahsan also elaborated on his country's bid to expand the contribution of the Bangladesh workforce into the area of rice farming in the Sultanate.

"I am very happy to note the opportunities that we have had to work in the sectors of government, education, construction, engineering and medicine to which we are very thankful to His Majesty's government," he told The Brunei Times.

The progression from low-tech to high-tech methods will not be easy for the country, Ahsan said, because of the challenges of terrain which slows production down.

"To maximise rice production, technological improvements are needed. That means getting better seeds, efficient farming and irrigation methods," he said citing a current gap between traditional farming and high-tech methods.

"Initially, for preparation work like clearing forests and watering, manual labour would be needed. We have a lot of this and have to utilise to greater effect."

When asked about the possibilities of high-end technology and research development, Ahsan drew out issues which Bangladesh have faced that have resulted in their findings. "Bangladesh is prone to natural disasters. Floods happen every year and they constantly threaten to wipe out our standing crops. It is with that reason we aspired to produce seeds that could withstand the vagaries of nature," the high commissioner said.

He added that cooperation with the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) has proved Bangladesh successful in developing rice varieties that are water, saline and pest tolerant coupled with high yield rate and this is the variety now widely used in Bangladesh.

"Perhaps, on the subject of variety development, we could lend our hand and share our experiences in working with Brunei to create a strain that would be suited to the local climate," Ahsan suggest.

This could be one of the other avenues for mutual cooperation, he said.

Collaborations between the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Philippines-based IRRI have seen Bangladesh boost its harvest by inventing high-yield varieties which have tripled the nation's rice production in four decades.

The Bangladesh varieties have enabled the country to avoid poor harvests. Leo Kassim

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times