Bilateral Cooperation With China Hoped To Raise Local Rice Production
By Yusrin Junaidi

Bandar Seri Begawan - In recent years, the Government of Brunei Darussalam has carried out a plural economic strategy, focusing on modern agriculture, which has paved the way for the two-way cooperation of Brunei and China, a country just across the sea and a big name in agriculture.

Rice, the staple food here, with an annual consumption of over 30,000 tonnes, breaks down to an average of 73kg per capita. Due to various reasons, the deficiency of rice stock in our country is high, with 98 per cent of the total being imported.

Over the years, the Government has offered various incentives to promote rice production, such as upgrading infrastructures of paddy fields, more effective protection for crops and adopting high-yield rice seeds.

As one of the key agricultural countries in the world, China has its significant advantages in agricultural structure and modern agricultural technology, from whom Brunei could draw upon valuable experiences.

For instance, in rice growing, the "super hybrid rice" -invented by Yuan Longping, a Chinese scientist - has been introduced to the Asean countries and dozens of countries in Africa and the Americas. The introduction has made great contribution to the world food production.

Viet Nam, a former big importer of rice, began to grow the Chinese hybrid rice with 40,000 hectares in 1993, and has managed to raise rice yields by 100 million kg that same year.

Currently, growing area of the hybrid rice in Viet Nam has reached 650,000 hectares, with 40 per cent more yield per unit area, making the country the second-largest exporter in Asia after Thailand.

Both top leaders of Brunei and China are optimistic about the bilateral agricultural cooperation. On October 31, 2006, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Nanning, China, that China attached great importance to the cooperation of agricultural science and technology with Brunei, and China was willing to provide Brunei with relevant technologies and talents for this purpose.

A year later in October 2007, Chinese Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Niu Dun, paid a visit to Brunei and called on His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and the Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office.

He held a bilateral talk with the Ministry of Industry & Primary Resources on how to enhance cooperation in agriculture, fishery, Halal food production and processing.

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China boasts of advanced technologies in growing and breeding of hybrid rice, with some of the species cultivated by the local scientists being well received by farmers in Asean. Guangxi is also a leading exporter of rice seeds in China.

A Guangxi delegation visited Brunei in April this year, when Guo Shengkun, head of the delegation, proposed to intensify efforts in priority fields like growing of rice and vegetables, exchanges of agricultural technology, investment and trade in agriculture.

This proposal marked the agricultural cooperation between Brunei and China has materialised in specific fields. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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