One pack of ready-to-eat rice can change the course of things when deep in the jungles, writes Kerry-Ann Augustin
IT’S still pitch black at 4am when Suhaili Mohamed from Landskap Malaysia and her team start loading their backpacks with the essentials: Maps, compasses, head lamps, torch lights, bottles of water, first-aid kits, hammocks, ropes, knives, Bunsen burners, insulated jackets, extra sets of dry clothes, hiking boots and walkie-talkies.
But at an estimated 5kg per backpack, the journey already looks daunting. In just a few hours, it will only get more challenging. The team from the local NGO and sister company of the Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Centre (TRCRC), will be making their way into uncharted territories around the dense forests in Perak. There, they will spend the next five days collecting seeds and replanting trees.
Of all the items they will be stuffing into their backpack however, there is one that weighs so little but carries the heaviest of duties — a packet of ready-to-eat Brahim’s rice. The food manufacturing giants are now working closely with both environmental bodies to support their conservation efforts in the country.
MEAL DEAL
“Before we had this pack of ready-to-eat Brahims rice, we would have to carry bags of rice to last us days at a time,” says Suhaili, referring to the Brahim’s pack that weighs a mere 250g. “We also had to take along things like pots to cook the rice, so it took up a lot of space and energy to carry those while doing our work in the forests,” she reveals, giving an insight to Brahim’s CSR initiative which started early this year.
Carrying bags of rice while trekking on tough terrain and enduring unpredictable weather also meant being slowed down. “Many times we have to stop, rest, carry the rice bags and continue, which means taking up more time to get to a spot or run our research,” she says, noting that for a duration of five days, they would have to bring close to 10 bags of rice for the team of six.
Founded in 2009, Lanskap Malaysia was initiated by Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Tun Jeanne Abdullah. “There is an urgent need to replant what we lost — it affects everything, including the loss of habitat for animals in the wild,” Suhaili confides. The NGO now runs various programmes including training youth to enter professions related to tropical rainforests management as well as Hutan Kita, an initiative to replant trees in urban areas.
“It’s a pretty rough job, but there’s nothing like being in the rainforest,” says Suhaili, looking pensive. She relates a story of her time in Sabah where deforestation was taking place and she had witnessed Orang Utans building nests in tree after tree. “It was so sad that they had to keep building their nests because their home was slowly disappearing. It was heartbreaking.”
TREE HEROS
Keeping their goal of saving Malaysia’s rainforests in mind, the team goes through a tough journey every time they are on duty. For five nights, the team ties their hammocks in between trees, brave the cold of the nights and face the scorching heat of the day, fight off the various insects which mark them with stings and trek for hours on ends.
“We go deep into the jungles, where sometimes it is so deep that there are no water sources anywhere nearby,” Suhaili, who spearheads her team, shares. While the team is in the jungle, they do everything from running surveys, to collecting seeds of trees that need replanting, as well as replant trees. Sources of energy then become priority.
“We’re just thankful we don’t have to carry bags of rice with us anymore,” says Suhaili with a broad smile. “We have no set time or place when it comes to eating. So having the Brahim’s ready-to-eat pack comes in handy. It’s small, light and gives us enough energy to keep us going for the rest of the journey.”
The long grain Basmathi rice Brahim’s uses in their ready-to-eat packs are MSG and preservative free in addition to being mixed with boneless and skinless mutton and chicken, something the team definitely appreciates. “We can’t be picky with our food when we are in the jungle,” Suhaili reveals, laughing. “So for us to have all this different flavours in a pack is like a bonus!” she says referring to the nine flavours of ready-to-eat rice including their award-winning chicken biryani rice, mutton biryani rice, Arab rice, tomato rice, mushroom and cheese rice, nasi lemak, salted fish fried rice and their best seller, Kampung fried rice.
The way it is packed, says Suhaili, saves her team a lot of time. “We used to have to stand over a pot and wait for rice to cook which could take half an hour. But we’ve been so much more efficient now that it takes only seven minutes in boiling water to get a full meal.” The team concurs, shaking their heads to attest to the amount of time saved. “There’s very little preparation work needed. The preparation work comes in the form of just getting the boiling water ready,” she says.
There have been times, however, when they were unable to build fires. “Once we were stuck in a place where winds were very strong and the rain, even heavier. We couldn’t start a fire so, out of pure necessity, we had to open up the Brahim’s ready-to-eat pack and just eat it like that,” she recounts, laughing. “It’s actually edible!”
SEEDS OF HOPE
“The management team from both Landskap Malaysia and TRCRC were looking for the best high durable product to replace canned food that can be brought into the forest,” says a representative of Brahim’s about their CSR intiative. “They were looking for products that can be kept for long periods and something lightweight which require less time to prepare, and can provide enough energy for them.” This, Brahims say is the best way in which they can contribute their expertise to the cause.
“We fully support the work they are doing,” says Brahim’s, in reference to Landskap Malaysia and TRCRC goals of spreading awareness on conservation, preservation and saving endangered plant species from extinction. “We think it’s a perfect match in providing convenient ready-to-eat food for the researchers and staff involved in the conservation project during their expedition in the jungle.”