About 32.3 hectares of rice land in Kampung Jawi-Jawi, here, serves as the first area to implement the use of technology and modern machinery from Japan to increase farmers' rice yields.

Kota Belud Integrated Agriculture Development Area (IADA) director Salmah Labulla said the technology and modern machinery were similar to that used by Japanese farmers in their rice cultivation activities.

She said the approach would be implemented through a smart partnership between Kota Belud IADA and two private companies for a period of five years, with the first phase involving capital investments of RM2.5 million, which began last January.

She said the two companies were Alku Corporation, a company involved in the construction of agricultural machinery from Japan, and Semai Agro, a local service provider company.

"For the first phase, Kota Belud IADA allocated RM500,000, while the two companies invested RM2 million and provided the technology and modern machinery from Japan. They will help Kota Belud farmers to increase the yields of their rice, " she told Bernama here recently.

Salmah also said that said six Japanese experts in each field namely drainage, area mapping, land preparation and harvesting, were at hand and given roles and responsibilities to ensure the success of the effort, apart from providing seven tractors and 20 implements, namely equipment for plowing and leveling the ground. - BERNAMA