1. Paddy Gallery, Sekinchan
As a city gal, I never bothered my head about where the rice that I eat come from. The only thing I care about is the price per 10kg bag of rice. As long as it is within my budget, I am pleased.
2. short talk & video presentation
Nonetheless, I have longed to visit Sekinchan, a fishing village that is also known for its paddy crops. I finally found the opportunity to visit Sekinchan, in the district of Kuala Selangor, upon being selected as a delegate in the Discover Selangor media familiarisation trip.
3. more explanation on rice
The only problem during our January trip, was that the paddy had already been harvested in December. Even so, a visit to Paddy Gallery was most fruitful, giving me the chance to learn the theory of how rice is planted.
4. exhibits
Paddy Gallery is owned by PLS Group. In the early days, the company was first established as a rice transporter, but today it has diversified to become a wholesale supplier of rice, grains trading, cultivation and sale of rice seedlings as well as transplanting rice services, distribution of fertilisers and pesticides, among numerous other services.
5. exhibits
Visitors to Paddy Gallery are treated to a video presentation as well as a short talk by one of the staff, to better explain the entire process of how rice comes to be. Paddy Gallery, Malaysia’s first ever, is also home to a good collection of artifacts and items related to paddy planting and the rice industry in general.
6. exhibits
If you plan a visit to Sekinchan, do take note that planting season is February and August. Harvesting is only done after 110 days of planting the transplanting mats. So, I reckon the best time to visit the village sould be around June and December, just before harvesting, using a rice combine harvester. The golden fields would be such a sight to behold!
7. rice
By the way, did you know that using the modern method of a rice transplanter, 1.2 hectares of land can be planted with 300 pieces of transplanting mats in just 2.5 hours. This is a vast improvement from the manual planting of rice, which would require eight workers over two days.
8. rice products
Rice is the staple food in Southeast Asia. Do you know how long it would take an adult to consume one ton of rice at two meals a day, assuming its serving size is 70g each? The answer is 19 years! If the rice was consumed three times a day at the same serving size, it would take 13 years.
9. rice transplanter
See how much knowledge I gained after a visit to Paddy Gallery in just one morning? You should make your way there, too!
Paddy Gallery
Add: Lot 9990, Jalan Tali Air 5, Ban 2, 45400 Sekinchan, Selangor.
Tel: 016-205 6558
Opening hours: 9am – 5.30pm
Admission: RM5 per person (kids under 95cm free of charge)
Website: Paddy Gallery
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