Wednesday, December 13, 2017

LIP SERVICE ON RICE


(Comment in Life of Annie's blog on Padi Rescue)

Whether Padi Rescue is registered or not is not an issue. Any informal or formal group can voice its concern for the security of our staple food.

Musonnef's problem with Bernas is his personal matter and so is his bankruptcy. In my opinion, being a concerned party he is at liberty to be with or even lead the Padi Rescue. We are talking about food on the table not only for now but future generations.

Strange that just because Bernas is established LPN cannot go on functioning. The two organisations can work and complement each other. Bernas' s scope is quite limited whereas that of LPN is extensive though not comprehensive.
Padi and rice production involves a myriad of activities to include soil and water management, improved seeds, field management, disease and pest problem, harvesting, milling, storage, quality control, marketing to list some.

When Muhyidin was the Minister of Agriculture then, Sustainable Living Institute submitted a memorandum to establish a Padi Board to include a Rice Research Institute in its ambit. Please refer our earlier posting in this blog on a copy of the memorandum to the Minister.

Although MARDI is doing rice research but lack the focus and funding because it involves with so many crops.

Malaysia has been talking towards self-sufficiency for many many years but lack the concrete policies and ideas how to spearhead to the goal. We merely pay lip service and has no political will power to accomplish it.

Take for example Japan, it is self-sufficient in rice. Their state of research is advanced. At one time they have more than 50 scientists working on the rice genome alone not to mention other aspects of rice research. In MARDI we have less than 20 researchers in rice! Its rice gene bank is under funded.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

DERVISH CONVENT, MAHAN



Dervish convents have qualities of beauty and seclusion comparable to many in the West. At Mahan, in Persi, an outstanding group of buildings dating from the IX/15th century onwards houses the community founded by Shah Ni'matullah Wali, a sufi poet and mystic who settled there in 809/1406. His tomb is under the blue dome, built by Shah 'Abbas in 1010/1601. Mahan is a green oasis surrounded by desert and mountains, an image of the paradise garden. Four open courts flank the shrine. The 'spiral' roof illustrated earlier covers one of the rooms. Left: part of the ceramic decorations of the ceramic decorations of  the tomb of Al Ansari  at Gasurgah, near Herat.
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