MENUAI PADI- 17th August at kawasan kemajuan pertanian projek penanaman padi wasan.

Yesterday, for the second trip of BEACA, we went to Wasan Project Area Of Planting Paddy. it was where Paddy Laila was being planted. according to the Pelita Brunei: 1,344 hectares of land was used for this project and soon will be producing 8,064 ton of rice per year. this project itself was supported by His Majesty The Sultan Dan Yang Dipertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam. Like what His Majesty had said Brunei Darussalam was in need to increase the nation's agriculture particularly in riceso that to ensure the country will reached self-suffiency especially during the world food crisis.

when we entering the main road toward the project area, all we can see was paddy everywhere. feeling of anxious was occupying me because this was my first time experienced to see more closed how to harvest the paddy. and yes why our lecturer chose to go to Wasan Project Area to be our second trip was that they wanted us to get to know and see how to plant paddy traditionally and its procedure. this was because we only eat the rice and did not think where it was come from and how hard the process had done by them so that it finally became like that.


Arriving there, we were welcomed by the owner of the paddy area that we will going to harvest, Haji Mohd Ali bin Haji Bakar and one of his workers Ade. Dr Irene was giving small briefing to us on what to do. she said that we were giving one hour to practice how to harvest and asked some questions to the owner and his workers. after wearing boots, gloves, hats and Tembigan ( a basket tied in the waist and used to collect paddy that we got) we walked along the muddy and slippery path due to the raining last night. what came in my thought that time was is this place secured? because what i had learned and knew from parents before was that in paddy area there will be a slug, snake maybe and mouse sometime. this would be a challenge for me since i was afraid of all this creatures. how can i face them if i saw it? but luckily when i asked to Ade he said that this area does not had that such thing anymore because they are not using the buffalo as the transport in clearing the land. instead they used some sort of machine.

TEMBIGAN


PONDOK

During the harvesting time i feel exciting as now i know some methods being done in planting paddy and it was not that simple. harvesting was only part of the planting paddy. after harvesting, the paddy soon will be dried. i asked one of the workers and he said drying the paddy was depending on the weather. if it was hot day the paddy will dry quickly just in 3 days. another stages that will be done after harvestig was Mengirik and Mengisar. and this was done by machine like Thresher and Portable Rice Mill.

HARVESTING TIME!!

DRYING THE PADDY

one interesting fact i found surrounding the paddy plantation was that each owner identify their zone by different ways like planting papaya tree along their land, somes tied black plastic along a rope and even a leaf of tarap was also been attached to the rope along the corner.

Finally after one hour of experiencing how to harvest paddy, we get some rest and served with foods and drinks. in the meantime, Haji Mohd Ali also explained the use of shade by the side of paddy was to prevent the mouse from entering it. it was believe some mice manage to jump through the black shade. but at least they tried already to stop all the mice spoiling their paddy.

later the owner, Haji Mohd Ali gave us a pack of rice called 'BARAS LAILA'. on the way back home i had been thinking that how much effort had been done by them to produce a very quality rice from good paddy. this trip had not only teaching me in many ways but it also make me realized how important rice was in our daily life. the knowledge i gained from this trip will benefit me a lot especially when people asked what was the process had been done by people to make paddy then to become rice.