Tutong - Travelling along Tutong Road from Bandar Seri Begawan to Lamunin, I was struck by two things: first, the seemingly impenetrable, well-protected rainforest and second, the well-tended rice paddies where I could see rice farmers wading through the swampy paddy fields with astonishing patience and protected from the searing tropical sun by wide-brimmed hats.
I was on an excursion with a group of 30 teachers and students from Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit Arabic Religious Girls School. Our objective was to learn more about Brunei‘s traditional methods of harvesting paddy from the villagers in Kampung Mungkom, Kiudang.
Smiles and handshakes greeted us when we arrived at our destination, a two-acre paddy field in Kampung Mungkom that belongs to Saiful Hj Ariffin and his family. Saiful quickly briefed us on the programme for our visit. "Our way of growing rice is a Bruneian tradition. It is about our cultural knowledge, which we want to sustain. The whole process of planting, weeding and harvesting rice is done manually, with a lot of care," he said.
According to Saiful, most of the rice farming in Tutong is for self-subsistence. The farmers primarily grow rice for their families and sell the surplus. The most popular varieties of rice are bario, known for its nutritional value and pusu and adan, primarily for their fine taste.
Brunei consumes around 30,000 tonnes of rice each year, most of it imported from Thailand. But the Sultanate‘s rice production is steadily increasing.
In various parts of Asia, high-yielding hybrid rice varieties cross-bred by scientists would give higher rice yields per hectare per year and grow quickly, allowing farmers to have two harvests per year. However, most Brunei farmers prefer the traditional varieties.
In July and August, paddy fields are prepared for planting. Around September, rice from the nursery is transplanted and left to grow. Finally, between December and March, the rice grains are ready for harvesting, a time of great joy among the farmers.
Saiful showed us a traditional small knife called ketap, held in the palm of the right hand to cut the stalks. Another equipment, the sickle, enables one to harvest paddy at a faster rate, between 25 and 35 kg of rice an hour.
We tried harvesting paddy using both ketap and sickle. With the sun beating down on us, it was hard work. After two hours, we stopped for a rest.
Later, we were shown the different methods of drying and processing paddy. Harvested paddy from the field is dried under the sun for a few days before ‘mengirik‘ or threshing takes place. Threshing is carried out to separate paddy from its stalk. This is normally done by beating the stalks on a piece of wood or empty drum or trampling with the feet, either on a mat or an elevated platform with a wire mesh. The wire mesh acts as a sieve separating the grains, which falls through the mesh while the straw remains behind.
The threshed paddy grains are then separated from the straw waste by winnowing. This is done by placing the paddy on a tray, tossing and shaking the grains to separate the less dense husks, which fall towards the edge of the tray where they are removed. The last stage is milling the rice, which involves removing the husk and polishing of the grains.
Reaping the fruits of one‘s labour is the sweetest experience for any farmer. For residents of Kampung Mungkom, Kiudang the success of a bountiful rice harvest has proven to be a worthwhile effort.
In Saiful‘s family, knowledge about the different rice varieties, methods of planting, harvesting and drying are being passed down from generations. In a globalised world where more and more traditions have to make way for modern methods, growing rice in Kampung Mungkom is still a matter of pride.
Bidding the villagers farewell later in the afternoon, we vowed to return to Kampung Mungkom again in the future. Indeed, it was a memorable visit as well as a great learning experience for most of us who had never harvested paddy before in our lives.
Source: www.brunei-online.com (3 April 2008)
