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Back to Brunei with fresh 'green' ideas |
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KUALA LUMPUR 29TH NOVEMBER 2006: Brunei farmers and entrepreneurs concluded their week-long visit to West Malaysia with a motivational seminar in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday evening.
The seminar was conducted by agricultural experts to encourage and guide them in their venture in agro-business industry.
After witnessing the success of agricultural entrepreneurs from 11 nations at the Malaysian Agriculture and Horticulture exhibition (MAHA) 2006 In Serdang, Putrajaya, the delegation visited agricultural farms and cottage-industry establishments in Selangor and Malacca. |
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They first went to a large-scale ginger farm in Banting, Selangor where they witnessed for the firts time in their life a huge plot of 5,000 hectares operated by 30 contract farmers for inger export to Singapore and other countries.
They also witnessed how mixed crop rotation farming of ginger, banana and potatoes could recycle the soil and prepare them into the next ginger plantation season.
The delegation also visited a food industry establishment and heard a rag-to-riches story from the company’s managing director who said though poverty has deprived him of proper education yet it did not hinder him from achieving success in life.
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NDP delegates posing for picture in front of Dorani Homestay |
According to Encik Tarmizi, the Managing Director of Jamirah Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd his factory now produced potato chips for Malaysian market as well as foreign countries including Brunei Darussalam and the Gulf nations.
“I used to sell potato chips at school canteens but now after revolutionising the production of my product into global acceptance, my turnover is about RM4.2 million annually,” said Encik Tarmizi now a big time businessman.
The visitors also saw how cottage-industry business can turn into money-making venture such as coffee-processing plant in Banting.
“Our company imported coffee beans from Surabaya and process it to suit local flavour and now this small factory so successful that it has challenging time to meet growing demand from establishments in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor,” said the operator. |
Taking group picture at the large-scale ginger plantatio |
For paddy farmers who joined the delegation, they saw thousands of hectares of land being turned into paddy farms to partly supply 60 percent of the local demand for rice.
Malaysian farmers currently planted and harvested paddy twice a year.
One hectare of land can now produce 7 tonnes of rice and the relevant authority is encouraging farmers to increase the output to 10 tonnes per hectare.
According to the head of delegation Haji Matzin Hj Salleh, the director of Agriduz Sdn Bhd – a retired senior officer at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources - Brunei is still producing rice at 2 tonnes per hectare for a once-a-year harvest. |
Brunei visitors were impressed with a large-scale paddy plantation operation. |
“The farmers were able to see how output per hectare can be maximised by applying technology and practising good farming techniques,” he said.
The visitors went to Malacca too to visit fresh-water fish rearing operated by a Malaysian married to a Bruneian lady.
Amir Hasran said he is able to earn $1,000 per day selling fresh-water fish which he reared at the back of his house on a 5-acre land.
The visitors also visited the Fishermen Association of West Malacca which is able to upgrade the living standard of farmers in the area. |
Touring a large-scale fish pond
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“We have won both national and state-level awards. But we are very satisfied when the association managed to improve the standard of living of farmers here,” said the chairman of the association. |
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