Bario rice, an iconic agricultural crop known for its soft sticky texture when cooked, has been awarded the certification of geographical indication by the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO). This means no rice of the Adan variety grown outside the Kelabit highland in the Limbang Division of Sarawak can be called Bario rice. Bario rice is among six products to receive the GI registration certificate this year, other products that have received the GI certification are Sarawak pepper, Sabah tea, Tenom coffee, Borneo virgin coconut oil and Sabah seaweed.

The state government wants to double the growth in the agricultural sector by the end of next year. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said this would help the state become self-sufficient and reduce dependence on agricultural imports from other states. He said among steps being taken were the revival of abandoned agricultural projects and having meetings with farmers to obtain feedback. He said there were about 3,000ha of idle land in the state which could be used for agriculture.

 

A new breakthrough procedure being practiced at The National Heart Institute will see a lowered surgical risk for patients with aortic stenosis. The device, known as a CoreValve would be inserted with a needle puncture at the groin area or a small incision in the left collar bone and would take 45 to 90 minutes to complete. The procedure was used successfully on three patients aged 77, 76 and 73 last month and was noted to be a first in Asia.

Sarawak has identified two mangrove forests to be gazetted as fully protected in a move to minimize the devastating effects of an impending tsunami and to increase environmental conservation. Of the two national parks gazetted are, the Batang Lassa National Park measuring 22,000 hectares, and the Limbang Mangrove National Park (4,290 hectares). The move has been carried out since 2003, and is in its end stage.

The Sabah Wildlife Department marked a milestone with its orang utan rehabilitation when it became the first in the world to use transmitter implants to monitor progress of the primates reintroduced into the wild. The transmitter, the size of a 50-sen coin, developed by Austrian university professors would help orang utan conservationists to keep track of rehabilitated primates when they are released. The transmitter was placed in the neck area where the skin was thick and which had fat deposits. The device can also be switched on or off by using a magnet without any surgery.