Local Rice Varieties and their Future

 Life in smaller towns of Sarawak often bring people closer to padi fields and rice producers. I have lived in Limbang and Kanowit, and now I am living in Miri where some good rice is grown nearby Bekenu and outlying areas.

It is often a nice outing to visit farms whenever there is a holiday with friends. I can even play tour guide and drive friends along the smaller roads to Bekenu , Beluru and a very small place called Sg Tiris where farmers continue to grow rice.

Further away from Miri are two places where good rice is grown, Bario and Long Banga. A friend still has a padi field in Pa Ukat and I have a good Saban friend who grows both hill and wet padi in Long Banga. Some friends continue to bring to Miri rice grown in Long Lellang, which is served by Sarawak Rural Air Serice.

In December 2023 I went to buy Kanowit Rice, a special fragrant rice and was told by the friend rice vendor at the tamu  that since the MCO it has been very difficult to get the variety. Oil palm has taken over as a very important cash crop and padi farmers have become oil palm growers in the last 10 years. And slowly more and more padi farmers have abandoned their rice fields for oil palm.

That is also one of the reasons why local rice is getting more expensive. It is difficult to say what the future of local rice varieties would be like.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and pray that farmers will consider growing more local rice in the next five years to keep the heirloom rice varieties safe.