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HM: Speed Up Local Food Output
By Anna Abu Bakar

Bandar Seri Begawan - Speed up local agricultural production to lessen the dependency on imports, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said in his titah at the national Isra' Mi'raj celebration yesterday.

"I will not stop stressing the country's need to increase agricultural production, especially rice production, to ensure that we will succeed in supporting the country with local products," the monarch said.

The monarch drew an example from one of the scenes Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw during the Isra' Mi'raj journey.

The prophet (pbuh) had encountered a tribe whose cultivation was extremely productive - whenever they planted seeds, the crops grew fast and were harvested later that same day. His Majesty explained that this miraculous event is an example of how the hard works of the people through their faith in Allah (SWT) were generously rewarded by Him.

"This event also reminds us of the current food crisis," said His Majesty. "When food is bountiful, benefits can be reaped. When food is scarce, chaos and destruction occur."

His Majesty also referred to another event during the time of Prophet Yusuf (pbuh) as described in the Quran, when governments and people turned to wide-scale agriculture to avert a potential food crisis that was predicted to come with a long period of drought.

"Today, a food crisis is not merely predicted but is already happening," said His Majesty, noting that about 854 million people around the world are currently facing food shortage.

He thus urged the nation to take concrete steps to face the global food crisis, to boost local agricultural output and to be self-sufficient in food production.

The monarch also urged Bruneians to make more effort in this endeavour, stating that in Islam, taking the initiative or ikhtiar is very much encouraged.  -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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