Today, the mini rice mill is a very important equipment for the indigenous people of Sarawak where padi is grown, harvested, milled and eaten, if possible in the village.
Many of the rice farmers, for example, Aunty Dayang Lasong, grows her rice in Pa Kerebunut but she lives in Miri, 8 hours away by road. She and her family will grow the rice and then harvest it. After harvesting, the unhusked grains are dried and stored. When fresh milled rice is required for sale, or for home consumption, Aunty Dayang Lasong will drive back to her village to dry the grains for a day and then mill the rice, using a small mini rice mill which consists of a paddy clearner, sheller, separator and a polisher.
10 or 15 years ago, life was not that easy because she had to send her unhusked rice grains to a miller and she had to pay for the milling.
Thus a mini rice mill at home has definitely made life so much easier for the rural folks.
Sarawak has a lot of good land for growing food crops like rice which is an essential product yet many prefer to plant oil palm which is a cash crop. Why can't people plant both? I would still prefer people to plant rice here in Sarawak. Thailand is a good example where rice is an export crop.
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