PERAK, USAS TO GROW NMR152 RICE IN PILOT PROJECT ON ABANDONED LAND

IPOH, April 16 (Bernama) - - The Perak government, in collaboration with Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS), is planning to implement a pilot project to plant fast-growing rice on an eight-hectare wasteland in the Kota Lama Kanan subdistrict in Kuala Kangsar.

State Rural Development, Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun said the area will be cultivated with the NMR152 rice capable of yielding around eight to 10 tonnes per hectare.

"As informed by the USAS, there are 40 hectares of abandoned land around Kuala Kangsar. We will implement this pilot project of rice-planting on eight hectares.

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"The NMR152 padi seed is produced by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency. This hardy padi seed is selected because it only takes 110 days to harvest and also withstands extreme weather and disease attacks and needs minimal water," he said. 

Mohd Zolkafly was speaking to reporters at a press conference at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here today, which was also attended by USAS vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Wan Sabri Wan Yusof.

Mohd Zolkafly said this pilot project warrants encouragement because it will strengthen the food security agenda contained in the Perak Sejahtera 2030 Plan.

"Indirectly, this project, which also involves local residents, helps them to produce their own food through rice cultivation," he said.

Meanwhile, Wan Sabri said the pilot project is being carried out on abandoned land that was a former padi field once.

"We have done research and visited all the locations where this project is to be implemented. We found that the land is not just a former paddy field, but there are some locations where there is still equipment and drainage systems built in for rice planting," he said.

He said if the pilot project is successful, it can be developed throughout abandoned land in Perak and dependence on imported rice can be reduced.

-- BERNAMA