The Muddy Dolls Catching fish in the mud, Makes for priceless childhood memories. ......
Ikan Puyu A kid cycled past me, he gestured at me when he noticed that I was taking pictures. Kid: “Bang, mai tengok. Mai sini tengok! (Elder brother, come and see. Come here and see!)” I wondered what it was that the kid wanted me to see. I walked towards him curiously and saw about a dozen kids gathered around a ditch in the paddyfield. They were all very preoccupied with whatever that was in the ditch. FuFu: “What kind of fish is this?” Kid: “Ikan puyu.” FuFu: “Can it be eaten?” Kid: “Yes, they are delicious! I like eating them.” ...... Muddy Dolls The ikan puyu (climbing perch), a freshwater fish, can be commonly found in paddy fields, wetland or heavily-vegetated stagnant water. They are tough and can live on both land and water. Before and after every harvest season the kids would spend time catching these fish after school in the irrigation ditch nearby. My presence, a novelty, excited the kids very much. They were keen to show me their “strength” and waded bravely into the ditch. The water came up to their abdomens and they played happily. The ditch was their playground and they soon transformed into “muddy dolls” in their attempts to catch these ikan puyu. The fish was not big, the largest being about 15 centimetres long. However this was just an estimate as I could not really tell fish from mud when the kids placed them into pails. ...... Baby rolling in the quagmire The kids worked together using a pail and sieve to catch fish. One of them would run the sieve in a scooping motion through the ditch. If a fish is caught in the sieve, another kid would bring a pail to place the fish inside. The kid with the pail would continue to “stand guard” to ensure none of these fish escapes the pail. As I watched them play, I was simultaneously amazed and envious of their boundless energy and carefree nature. To spend their days with nature is such joy. The sun cast a long shadow ahead as it began to set. These kids headed over to a stream to clean their catch and wash the mud away from their bodies as they were done for the day. I waved goodbye to the shadows of mothers beckoning their children to come home. ...... Rice and Duck Farming Two ducks leading their ducklings soon crossed my path. They reminded me of the integrated paddy – duck farming method. Both paddy and duck were farmed on the same plot of land because the duck’s paddling movement stimulates the growth of the paddy. Their manure serves as a natural paddy fertiliser. These ducks also eat harmful insects and weeds thus eliminating the need for pesticides and herbicides. This improved farming methods facilitate the growth of agri-enterprises. ...... Rice in Malaysia Rice production is one of the main sources of income and livelihood of farmers in Kelantan. It produces 9% of the rice in Malaysia which comes third after Kedah (26%) and Perak (19%). Did you know that there are two types of rice planted in Malaysia – the wetland and upland rice, respectively? Wetland rice is planted on a large scale in irrigated fields in Peninsular Malaysia whilst upland rice is typically cultivated on a smaller scale in Sabah and Sarawak. The production of rice is only sufficient for approximately 65% of the Malaysian population whilst the rest of the 35% are imported from Thailand, Vietnam, India, etc. Rice comes in all forms and colours, long or short grain, white, red, brown or black in colour. Rice produced in Malaysia is generally the long grain kind. They are great for stir-fries as they have a light and fluffy texture and separate easily when cooked. They are also cooked with chicken broth, coconut milk or spices known as the flavourful Hainamese chicken rice, nasi lemak and nasi kunyit respectively. ......
1 Comment
Asrizam
11/15/2023 05:12:09 pm
New hybrid fish for the Aquaculture Industry - Kelah-Lampam
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January 2024
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