Reverse Linkage

50 REVERSE LINKAGE produces 2,645,120t of rice, 9.6 times more than Suriname’s output. Furthermore, the average yield of paddy fields in the granary areas of Malaysia is 7t/ha, compared to 4.9t/ha in Suriname, giving Malaysia significant advantage in terms of experience in managing the sustainability of large-scale plantation-based agriculture. As part of the RL approach, MARDI Corporation was tasked to engage with specific stakeholders in order to under- stand and acquire detailed information on the gaps between the current and desired conditions. To that end, MARDI Corporation was introduced to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV), and later the rice research centre under its purview, the Anne van Dijk Rijst Onderzoekscentrum Nickerie (ADRON). ADRON is the primary agency tasked to facilitate the country’s rice sector development, with responsibility not only for R&D but also for directly assisting farmers on the ground. Based on find- ings by the Malaysian team in coordination with these local partners, it was concluded that, in order for Suriname’s rice sector to be sustainable and competitive, it needed to produce high quality rice varieties and increase the paddy yield per hectare from the current 4.9t to 7t. To achieve these objec- tives, recommendations for improvements were provided to cover the three main requirements of rice production – rice variety, soil and water. As such, the three-year rice produc- tion RL project between Suriname and Malaysia is based on three pillars of engagement agreed by all stakeholders; namely, the introduction of new high yielding and high value From left: Dr. Ismail Che Haron, Malaysian head technical expert for the project’s second pillar – strengthening soil fertility; Guido van der Kooye, LVV Western Region coordinator; Ir. Mohd. Adnan Mohd. Nor, Malaysian head technical expert for the project’s third pillar – developing an integrated water management system; and Abdul Rahman Haron, MARDI Corporation’s senior technical consultant, visiting one of the main water pump houses in Nickerie Image: MARDI Corporation