- Classified in the genus Oryza, there are two species of domesticated rice O. sativa Asian rice) and 0.

glaberrima (African rice)

- Paddy grown as an annual plant

- Paddy cultivation low labour costs and high rainfall, as it is labour-intensive to cultivate and requires ample water

Paddy cultivation in Malaysia

Rice is the dominant food crop, commonly grown in the hilly areas and low lying areas with domestic production meeting roughly 80% of demand.

Total area of land allocated as rice growing areas is 450,000 ha 3rd largest cash crop after oil palm and rubber.
Paddy growing- granary areas include : Kuala Muda (Kedah) area, Kemubu(Kelantan), Seberang Prai (Penang), Kerian (Perak), South West of Selangor, Kemasin (Kelantan), Besut (Terengganu), Seberang Perak

Main granaries contribute about 70% of the national rice production (irrigated ), 15% from secondary areas, 15% from non-irrigated areas.

Farming Season Harvest Season

Farming Season
There 6 different steps:
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Sowing Sprouting Ploughing field Flooding Planting Weeding

1) Sowing

Sowing germinated rice seeds in the rice nursery. Once sprouted, they will be planted in the larger, irrigated field (to the right of the nursery). Conducted during May to November

2) Sprouting

About 10 days later ,removes the In May, the river floods and the banana leaves that had been placed seeding rice are ready to be over the seeds, whichground which transplanted into the have now sprouted into seedlings. had been watered. After a few days more, the seedlings will be planted in the irrigated rice field in neatly arranged rows.

3) Ploughing the ground

Traditional 1)use buffalo to pull a plough or harrow to aerate soil 2)Wooden handled tool with flat metal blades Modern -rototillers with diesel powered engines -tractor

4) Flooding

This process is held on May, together with seeding. Farmers move some water up to higher fields

5) Planting

2 method 1) Machine - trays of shoots are loaded onto the conveyor belt of a diesel-powered tractor, which catches seedlings by a hook and inserts them into the ground 2) hand The seedlings is plant in neat rows, following a string they have tied to make the rows evenly spaced and parallel. The seeding rice is planted in the flooded fields after the fields have been ploughed.
The rice will take about six to eight weeks to grow.

6) Weeding

Weeding process must do after a few weeks when the plants have taken root and the water has been drained from the field

Harvest Season
Musim Menuai
Reaping and Harvesting (Step 7) Winnowing and Hulling (Step 8)

known as musim mengerat or musim mengiau

During the harvest season, June and December

The paddy field is look like gold yellow colour

Paddy plants reach full growth

approximately three months after planting grains begin to ripen the tops begin to droop the stems become yellows

Harvesting is commenced
In the planting and growing seasons, the paddy field is usually flooded During the harvest season, the water is drained from the fields

As the fields dry, the grains ripen further It is still muddy and wet, but This season usually fall this paddy will be harvested during the dry season in a couple of weeks

Depending on the size of the operation and the amount of mechanization, rice is either harvested by hand or machine.

Now, harvester harvesting the ripe rice paddy

Traditionally, by hand, rice stalks are cut by sharp knives or sickle

After Harvest

Traditionally -> by hand The rice is thrown in the air and the straws blow away, while the rice grains fall to the ground and can be stored. Now -> a rice-hulling machine

Ploughing

Buffalo

Tractor

Planting

Labour

Paddy Transplant Machine

Harvest

Paddy Harvesting Machine

Drying

Labour

Paddy dryer machine

Threshing

Paddy Thresher Machine

 Population Consumption More paddy field requires to meet human demand

About 60 70% self sufficiency Imports rice from Thailand, Vietnam, India, Myanmar and other neighbouring country

100% self-sufficient by 2015

Rice yield per capita must increase to at least 106 kg of rice per capita by 2015.

To reach 106 kg of rice per capita by 2015, becoming 100% self-sufficient in rice: 3.3 mil. ton of rice = 5.0 ton/ha of rice Rice productivity must increase by at least 4.9% per year

Rice productivity increases by an average of 2.0% per year. Malaysia will only hit 2.6 million tonnes of rice in 2015 rice productivity of 3.8 ton ha-1 rice yield per capita of 82.3 kg per capita. expected self-sufficiency level only 78% in 2015.

The land area for rice in 2008 increases by more than 70% to reach 1.14 mil. ha in 2015. m More than 436,000 ha of new land area must be found for rice fields. In 2008, the Malaysian government mentioned about plans to open 100,000 ha of new land area for rice fields, but this figure is only one-fifth of what is required. Again, objective not achieved.

o Rice, Oryza sativa o Rice is the staple food in Malaysia. o Grown in the flat irrigated areas in the state of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Selangor and Perak. o The are two stages of paddy cultivation: a) Farming Season Sowing, sprouting, ploughing field, flooding, planting and weeding b) Harvest Season Reaping, harvesting, winnowing, and hulling o Increase of human population, increase the consumption, require more paddy field, increase rice production o Rice production in Malaysia is about 60 70% self sufficiency. o Malaysia imports rice from Thailand, Vietnam, India, Myanmar and other neighbouring country to fulfill the domestic needs.