KOTA TINGGI: He is a civil engineer who began dipping his toes into padi planting about 30 years ago.
And now Tam Pak Suew, 67, has embarked on a new project – planting organic rice on floating platforms.
He said the method has produced positive results as he could double the yield compared to those that were grown on soil.
“The price of organic rice is also double that of the ordinary rice,” he said
Furthermore, he said farmers could rear fish and ducks in the ponds, which could provide them with an additional income.
He said his floating padi platform is similar to cultivating fish in cages on a floating platform known as fish cage aquaculture.
Tam explained that his passion for padi cultivation started when he met his wife, who is from Sekinchan in Selangor, which is well known for its vast padi fields.
However, he developed a passion for agriculture from young.
Brilliant idea: A worker moving the padi platform designed by Tam — THOMAS YONG/The Star
Tam grew up in an estate with eight siblings and began tapping rubber when he was nine years old. He subsequently went on to graduate from Universiti Malaya with a degree in civil engineering. He is the only graduate in the family.
“My father died when I was six and my elder siblings had sacrificed much for me to pursue my studies. I know hardship and that is why I have had an interest in agriculture since young,” he said.
He was in his 30s when he made his first foray into padi farming in 1992. He was asked to rehabilitate a 607ha rice field in Kuala Rompin, Pahang. This included land clearing works and getting the irrigation infrastructure in place.
“Then in 1998, I took on a 121ha rice field in Kahang, Johor, and obtained the country’s first organic rice certification from the Agricultural Department in 2006.”
He closed that field in 2018 before moving to his present site which is about 72ha in Desaru.
As for this platform method, he explained that he could plant and harvest the padi three times in a year.
“Our yield is much higher. Despite the plants being cut, they grow back again and produce another round.
Tam.
“Each floating platform, which is 6m x 3m is filled with high quality soil and planted with about 550 rice seedlings,” he said, adding that the soil is constantly moist and this helps promote the growth of the plant.
About one month before harvesting, he said each platform is covered with nets to prevent attacks from pests or birds.
“But if there are other types of tiny pests attacking the crop, we would just sink the platform for about 30 minutes into the pond to get rid of the bugs which are then eaten by fish in the pond,” he said, adding that this helps to save cost especially on pesticides.
Tam, who is the founder of Koref Desaru Leisure Farm Sdn Bhd in Desaru, said that currently, he has about 19 platforms in his pond which are all planted with Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) MR269 rice variety.
“Usually we grow the seedlings on the ground for about a few weeks before they are transplanted to the platforms. It takes about three months to grow.”
Tam hoped the government would help fund his floating platform technique as it could be a pilot project.
With about 400 platforms on a 1ha pond, he said they would be able to yield about 18 to 20 tonnes of padi per year, which is double the yield from rice grown on soil.
He said this method of planting would not only boost the country’s rice production but would also be good for the country’s food security.
