Bario paddy cultivation produces Kelabit woman achiever

By Thivyamalini Ramalu

PUTRAJAYA, March 29 (Bernama) -- For Dayang Nalin @ Dayang Ulun, the lure of nature, the rural environment and paddy cultivation in Bario, Sarawak, was just overwhelming. 

So, the 58-year-old woman of the Kelabit community gave up a private-sector job in Miri in 2008 and switched to cultivating paddy on 1.21 hectares in Bario.

Today, Dayang Nalin was one of the 2,361 proud recipients of the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices (MyGAP) certification for entrepreneurs in the crop sub-sector.

She received the award from Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah at the ministry here.

MyGAP is a comprehensive certification scheme for the crop, aquaculture and livestock sectors, among others focusing on food safety and best environmental management.

“My parents had been cultivating Bario paddy since the 1960s. As the eldest of their five children, I felt compelled to continue planting the crop,” Dayang Nalin told Bernama.

The manager of Dnalin Bario Highlands Ecofarm said among the specialties of the Bario rice is its fine texture as well as its low carbohydrate content - qualities which have made the rice popular among the local community as well as people in peninsular Malaysia.

The rice can go for RM16 per kg in Bario. It fetches a high price due to various factors including the type of rice produced such as Adan Bario which is fine and suitable for daily consumption.

Dayang Nalin, who is assisted by her husband, said many local youths have begun to return to Bario to work the idle paddy land.

“This year, the Sarawak Agriculture Department is looking into ways to get more people to work the idle paddy land. It is an encouragement for us people of the village,” said the mother of two who often looks to guidance from the department for best farming practices.

The cultivation of the Bario paddy is a part of the culture of the Kelabits. The Bario Highland in the north-eastern corner of Sarawak is Kelabit territory.

Dayang Nalin said a harvest could reap three tonnes and she hires contract workers for the harvesting and drying processes.

“The harvest season is between mid-December and February. The paddy has to be harvested continuously because the rainy season will start in March,” said the farmer who still uses the traditional method of sun-drying the paddy.

Besides Bario paddy, Dayang Nalin also cultivates the Morris pineapple which provides a yield of 200 to 300 kg a month.

Deputy Minister Ahmad Hamzah, who presented the myGAP and myOrganic certificates, said the certification provided for improving food safety and nutrition.

“The production of fresh, quality and safe agricultural products throughout the food value chain has an impact on the well-being and health of the people,” he said at the event.

Agriculture Department statistics show that since 2002, a total of 9,453 farms in the crop sub-sector had received the myGAP certification and 294 farms had received the myOrganic certification.

-- BERNAMA