Brunei Targets Better Rice Production By 2013
By Debbie Too

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunet, expects rice production to improve due to better drainage and irrigation systems, an official from the Agriculture Department yesterday said.

The Agriculture Department's Hjh Normah Suriyahayati said rice output will grow 7.1 per cent by the harvest year of 2012/2013, citing the improvements put in place for farmers.

By 2013, Bruneian-grown rice will also corner 10 per cent of the local market from 2.9 per cent at present, according to data from the Agribusiness Development Division.

Imports fill in bulk of the sultanate's rice needs.

In 2006, Brunei imported 30,186 metric tonnes of rice from Thailand and Australia, while local rice output stood at 895 metric tonnes.

But Brunei's rice industry has steadily grown between 2001 and 2006.

The government data showed local rice production has increased to 895 metric tonnes in 2006 from 350 metric tonnes in 2001.

"Rice is a highly subsidised product in Brunei where we subsidise the end product of the paddy and we want to produce local rice as a niche product," said Hjh Normah Suriyahayati.

The National Paddy Cooperative Limited is planning to increase harvest by 30 per cent, using a new variety of paddy that is more commonly grown in Kalimantan.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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