(The researchers, students and farmers have been working together to do the activities and work of disposing and planting paddy hills recently.)

BINTULU: A one-hectare land plot in Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus (UPMKB) is allocated to carry out research projects under the Transdisciplinary Research Grant Scheme (TRGS-KPT) 2022.

UPMKB Campus Director Prof Dr Shahrul Razid Sarbini said the land plot will be the basic data for researchers to test the technology of seed funding, bio-fertilizers, bio-charcoal, bio-pesticides, and the degradation of pre- and post-harvest methods in the field before technology transfer is done to farmers in Sungai Asap, Belaga.

""A total of four projects will be implemented under this programme led by UPMKB researchers, namely Assoc Prof Dr Noorasmah Saupi, Prof Dr Patricia King Jie Hung, Dr Tunung Robin and Dr Adrian Daud and his research plot supervisor Philip Lepun," he said during the opening of Hills Paddy@Padi Huma Crop Research Plot on June 26 at UPMKB. 

The programme was participated by 30 researchers, graduate students and farmers in the paddy dispossession activities in conjunction with the opening of the programme.

Prof Dr Shahrul said we are very positive with the impact that will be had in this study as it supports the National Agrofood Policy (DAN 2.0) introduced by the government to address the issue of food security. 

Meanwhile, its programme head Assoc Prof Dr Noorasmah said the project, which is fully funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, aims to increase the production of Bukit Kerawing paddy in Sungai Asap, Belaga.

In addition, he said, it is to commercialize local rice varieties in increasing the country's food to be sufficient. 

The programme is named as the Socioeconomic Improvement of Small Farmers Through Sustainable Intervention to Increase the Productivity of Hills Paddy (Kerawing Var) in Sungai Asap, Belaga which is expected to increase the quantity of Kerawing rice yield./p>

At the same time, he said, it optimises the use of sustainable agricultural inputs such as the use of bio-fertilizers, bio-charcoal, bio-pesticides as well as improving post-harvest management to maintain the premium quality of the variety to be on par with existing varieties such as Bario and Biris rice. 

We hope that this rice variety can be a Geographical Indication for Sungai Asap to be known as the (producer) of the Kerawing Rice Sungai Asap," he said.

Date of Input: 07/07/2023 | Updated: 07/07/2023 | lanz