Beras Adan: The Highland Rice of the Krayan Valley

Beras Adan is an aromatic highland rice grown in the Krayan valley of North Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of the border with Malaysia. It is grown in Krayan Barat, a district within Nunukan Regency, by the Lundayeh communities who farm the valley. Because the name is tied to a place of origin, the first thing to check on any rice sold as Beras Adan is where it was grown.

Where Beras Adan grows

Krayan lies in the Borneo highlands, and the paddy fields sit on the valley floors. Recent figures put the cultivated paddy area in the valley at roughly 3,500 hectares. Visitors who want to understand the valley before anything else can start with the Krayan Highlands guide, which covers the wider landscape, and the Nunukan guide for the regency that the valley belongs to.

Three colours under one name

Adan is grown in three forms: white, red and black. All three are sold under the same name, so the colour of the grain is the detail to ask about. Check both the origin and the colour before buying, because a name tied to a place does not answer those questions for an individual pack.

How Beras Adan is grown

Adan is planted once a year, and the harvest runs from late December to February. After the harvest the fields rest and are prepared for the next season. Buffalo are not used for ploughing. They are released into the fields after the harvest instead.

Timing depends on the season, so anyone who wants to see the harvest should ask locally before planning a visit around it.

Beras Adan and the Lundayeh

For the Lundayeh, Adan is part of their cultural identity in the Krayan highlands, and rice is central to how they farm the valley. The Lundayeh language in North Kalimantan guide gives more background on the community that grows the rice.

Protection of the name

The name has been put forward for national protection as a geographical indication. An application was reported in late 2011, and a certificate was issued in 2012. The certificate ties the protected name to rice from the Krayan valley.

Getting to Krayan

Krayan can be reached from elsewhere in Indonesia only by air, and flights into the valley are limited. Travellers should not assume that a seat is available on a given day, so it helps to book well ahead and to allow spare days at both ends of the trip.

Most of the rice grown in Krayan is sold to buyers in Malaysia. For a wider view of the province, see the North Kalimantan destination guide.