Sign of promise in fields of gold

NOTHING is impossible. Perhaps it's not as worn-out a phrase as we may think it is when we apply it to the Sultanate's drive to achieve self-sufficiency in rice. When we know full well that we have the resources to make it and do our best to put these to good use, we can create that so-called bright hall in our vista.

We note with gladness the recent assessment by our Department of Agriculture and Agrifood (DAA) executives that the nation is on track to meet the short-term objective of raising rice self-sufficiency to 20 per cent of the national requirement. This comes with the opening up of more land areas to the cultivation of rice in the Brunei-Muara District.

Slowly but steadily, we are reviving our ability as a nation to depend on ourselves for the supply of rice to cover our needs. It has been decades since we began to heavily depend on rice imports to fill grocery shelves meant to cater to our preferences for dishes that contain this basic commodity. For a long time, we had domestic production accounting for only three per cent of the national rice requirement despite the availability of fertile land suitable for rice cultivation.

It did not sound feasible when we began to hear of plans to wean the nation from reliance on rice imports. Our own incredulity at this vision was due in part to farming being an unpopular choice of livelihood for many in the younger generation.

Our Agriculture and agrifood department executives, however, have chosen to make the most of the political will shown in making the fields green for the farm sector. The private sector likewise has shown cooperation by taking interest in an area that appears to be a sunrise investment today in Brunei.

We laud the DAA and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources for taking cognisance of the need to create more opportunities for youths to gain appreciation of the importance of rice farming. Students as young as 15 years had the chance to gain first-hand experience in the process of rice farming at a harvest at the Wasan Plantation during the weekend.

This proves to us that as a nation we can actually make things happen even changes that require a total departure from old approaches. If we have the political will to conserve energy and get government offices to lead by example, there is no reason we should doubt our capability to reduce electricity wastage. We can contribute to nation building if we remain focused on helping the government allocate bigger funds on other concerns that are equally important as subsidising rates for electricity use that we tend to waste.

And we have not been wanting in examples of how we can effect significant changes with sheer determination on the part of government executives. Aside from the ongoing drive to increase domestic rice output, we are witnessing the steady push by the Ministry of Finance to get the banks and their clients to toe the line and help stem the tide of personal indebtedness. We see the banks finding innovative ways to sell their financial products but we are also made aware of the ministry's supervision through the tightening of rules and regulations.

We can assume that the same level of commitment to pursuing positive changes is alive in other ministries, regardless of their preference on whether to keep the public informed of their work's progress.

The DAA reckons that the next assessment of the nation's chances of meeting its rice self-sufficiency target would be made in August or December. By simply keeping the public abreast of how the department plans to monitor the progress of the self-sufficiency aim, the DAA sends out a message of its intent to see through the success of this endeavour while at the same time keeping Bruneians convinced that this significant shift in the farm sector is indeed at work. The padi fields have turned golden; one has to be jaded not to see the promise.