First harvest of Brunei's hybrid rice

BRUNEI harvested its first yield of the SAT-07 hybrid rice, while senior government officials from the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources participated a sensory test for the hybrid rice varieties of SAT-11 and SAT-6R yesterday.

The Hybrid Rice Development Programme, a joint collaboration between the Agriculture Department and Singapore-based SunLand Agri-Tech Pte Ltd, aims to identify potential high-yield rice varieties to be developed in the country.

Hybrid rice varieties are the result of cross-pollination among various varieties in the hopes of achieving a yield that has the advantages of the parent plants.

Agriculture Director Hjh Normah Suria Hayati Pehin Jawatan Dalam Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Utama (Dr) Hj Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri said the research carried out on such hybrid varieties are part of the department's efforts to realise Brunei's target of achieving 20 per cent and 60 per cent self-sufficiency in rice production by 2010 and 2015 respectively.

"We need to have other varieties to plant, other than Laila. It is risky to plant just one variety because of pests and diseases," she said during yesterday's hybrid rice harvest at the Brunei Agriculture Research Centre in Mukim Sengkurong.

"We are trying this hybrid rice because it is high yielding, the one we harvested today can yield about seven metric tonnes per hectare (mt/ha), Laila can yield about three to four (mt/ha) and traditional rice varieties such as pusu can yield one to two mt/ha," she added.

David Chen, project manager of SunLand Agri-Tech agreed, saying that they had introduced the SAT-6R variety to Brunei because it is always good to have multiple varieties for countries hoping to achieve food security.

Chen said that full specifications of the SAT-07, 11 and 6R, including their nutritional values, will be available within two weeks while the public is expected to be able to taste the rice varieties during the upcoming agriculture food expo organised by Mcfarm later this month.

"We are also currently identifying farmers together with the Department of Agriculture to carry out trials for the three mentioned varieties and perhaps SAT-05 as well," he said, adding that a time frame of two years will be a good indication of the varieties suitable to cope with the local climate, soil and community.

Chen used the opportunity to explain that SAT-07, classified by SunLand as its premium hybrid rice, is the result of 15 years of cooperation with other regional countries.

"It is very hard to quantify the cost of developing hybrid rice, it takes time, skill, luck and the bridging of actual field operation with technology. But rest assured that the hybrid varieties we are promoting here are stable strains suitable for the tropical region," he said, adding that it will usually take two years or four seasons to stabilise a variety in a new place.

Assistant Agriculture Director Fuziah Hj Hamdan said that these hybrids are scheduled to be tested in selected farmers' fields where their progress will be monitored throughout all growth stages.

"We will be planting these trials in each of the four districts and the SunLand staff will be guiding these farmers on what are the best practices," she said.

"Hopefully, we will be able to make a decision on which is the best variety for Brunei after one or two plantings," she added.

These regional field trials are expected to begin mid-November 2009.

On hand to harvest the SAT-07 variety was Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar.

After harvesting, the guests were invited to participate a sensory test for the SAT-11 and SAT-6R yields.

A representative from the Agriculture Department who declined to be named said that while taste is highly subjective and personal, he preferred the rice yield which was more aromatic and sweet.

"The appearance is not as good as the others and it is a bit too sticky but the taste is very good," he said.

"It might be suitable for those who prefers a slow digestion of their meals but I don't think I would be able to eat this three times a day," he added.

Singapore High Commissioner Joseph K H Koh however disagreed, saying that he preferred the glutinous texture of the hybrid rice compared to Thai rice.

"It tastes sweeter (than the others) and is not as dry... but this is very subjective," he said. Melvin Jong

The Brunei Times