Rice experts offer their advice and expertise to Brunei

Chinese rice experts and businesses have offered their expertise to Brunei as the country launches an ambitious initiative to boost its production of the staple and better ensure its food security.

The Southeast Asian country has set a target of increasing rice production from 2,000 metric tons in 2015 to 7,700 tons by 2020, according to the Brunei Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.

In order to help it achieve this, the Chinese authorities, businesses and the Brunei Department of Agriculture and Agrifood have jointly launched a series of programs in which Chinese agricultural experts offer their expertise.

Huang Dahui, one of the Chinese experts, has conducted a 45-day training program for rice farmers and agricultural technicians in Brunei. He is from the Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co, which is named after renowned Chinese rice scientist Yuan Longping.

Huang and his colleagues provided training sessions for about 40 farmers from Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, and nearby areas as part of the program, which was jointly launched by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the agriculture company.

Huang said the main aim of the training is to help Brunei increase the yield of its rice paddies, which involves techniques for breeding hybrid rice seeds, seed production, cultivation and soil improvement.

Knowledge on the prevention and treatment of pests at farms was also passed on to local farmers by Chinese experts.

Brunei’s Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism said in a statement that it hopes the country can identify high-yield varieties that can be adapted to environmental conditions to increase rice production.

The ministry aims to increase rice productivity to 12 tons per hectare in irrigated areas to ensure the sustainability of domestic production.

Apart from the training program, six technicians from the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood and three young farmers underwent a three-month training course hosted by the Yuan Longping High-Tech Agricultural Co last year.

Huang said there is a long way to go for Brunei to improve its level of food selfreliance.

“In the process, it needs to further develop its agricultural infrastructure, improve the soil at rice paddies and construct more water resources projects. China has a lot to offer in those areas,” he added.