Planting rice and raising production
Hardin : It is not that I like to be a laborer. I have got lots of land to plant padi but what is the use. Planting rice is not easy and the returns are low. There are so many steps involved. For every step, I will need to get workers and I have to pay them cash.
It is not a sure thing. There are good years and there are bad years. Furthermore there are so many adat ( religious customs and practices ) involved. Every step of the way, I need financial support. I could raise the output but then I have to increase the input. 
I read in the papers about RM50 000 000 allocated by the federal government to increase rice production in the state. But I feel more rice production would be achieved if the government helps padi farmers like me. We have the land. We just need some aid in the form of subsidies.
Anyway, none of my children are interested. They prefer to work in their offices and come back and visit me only during Gawai. I am a laborer now but life is easy. I work and I am paid. As long as i work hard, I will have enough to feed my family.
Anyway Gawai is approaching. I tell you, less and less people are planting padi. You can follow me back to the long-house as my guest during the Gawai festivities. I know the price of essentials are now higher but we plant enough for our needs and there are our vegetables, pigs, chickens etc. My family will never starve. Maybe I will never have a nice house or a big car. But who cares? I am happy.
Bengbeng | interesting characters
Gawaii liao! Bengbeng bisik ngiruk tuak tak? Have one for me brader!
at present my household is in turmoil so the thought of tuak isn’t very inviting or perhaps even more so brader
I agreed with you. To live a life, one must be happy first. One should be happy when they have enough. If they have extra, then that they will be their bonus.
give me a bonus please
Yup agree, as long as you’re happy no matter what lives we had. Happiness is our choice.
Long time no comment here, your site and other’s site has problem uploading here.dunno why, argh…
i have noticed the problem too. i dot know why
So how, now people don’t like plant rice but we so short on rice globally.. My people in Hainan Island are farmers also, its a tough job working daily under the hot sun..
unfortunately it is a global problem, but in Malaysia the prospects are good with govt intervention.