Rice issue: Plant paddy in pots, house compound for daily consumption

KUALA LUMPUR - Planting paddy on a small scale, for example in pots or in the house compound, is among initiatives which can be done to increase local rice output for daily consumption.

A Royal Malaysian Navy veteran, Eddrus Iskandar Abdul Hamid, 36, undertook this effort to cultivate paddy at his home in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, late last year, after seeing his aunt succeed in paddy cultivation in pots.

He said when he first planted paddy, he used five pots, with four seeds in each pot, and harvested almost one kilogramme (kg) of rice.

"The second time I planted paddy, I used eight pots, with five seeds in each pot, and harvested more than 1kg of rice. For families of three and above, I suggest planting between 15 and 20 pots, as the harvest will be more than 10 to 12 kg,” he told Bernama here today.

He added that it usually takes three to four months for rice grains to mature and be suitable for processing, depending on, among others, fertiliser and weather.

He said that matured rice grains will harvested before the husks are removed from rice grains by pounding them in a wooden mortar.

He also shared his experiences, including various techniques and tips used, related to small-scale paddy cultivation at home, through social media.

"Since the issue of rice shortage came up, many on Facebook asked me to post videos on planting paddy in pots. Previously, I did share some basic techniques of paddy cultivation via Kuala Kangsar TV's YouTube videos.

"My objective for sharing paddy planting techniques in pots is to open the minds and interest of the community, to get involved in paddy cultivation activities as part of one’s knowledge, and could be useful in the future.

"If many members of the community plant paddy, not only can it be used to meet their own needs, but it can also be a source of income when they sell the excess rice to other parties, and thereby help solve the local rice shortage issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) deputy secretary-general, Nur Asyikin Aminuddin, said that the public is encouraged to use the available modern technology to get involved in small-scale paddy cultivation.

"The technology now allows high-rise residential buildings to cultivate in limited spaces. So, more people can try to grow paddy and reduce their families’ cost of living.

She added that this initiative could serve as an effective way to put pressure on traders to sell rice at a more affordable price. - BERNAMA