KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The current hot and dry weather has ruined 7,800 acres of paddy planted in Kelantan, Utusan Malaysia reported today.
Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (Kada) general manager Mohd Faizul Mustafa told the newspaper that the current hot weather has dried up the fields, hardened the soil and stunted the growth of the crops.
“The extremely hot weather has not only caused the crops to be stunted but it has affected its source of water. When water is limited the supply would have to be on a turn basis.
“In this situation the paddy crops that need water for growth and to form its stem will be affected. This will cause the plant to produce a lower quality yield that will in turn affect the farmers bottomline,” he was quoted as saying.
Faizul said the agency has handed over an additional 16 water pumps with a capacity of three to 20 cubic foot a second, to alleviate the situation.
The pumps will seek to draw up water from underground sources and channel them to the paddy fields.
Faizul said Kada will also supply farmers who are registered with the agency the diesel fuel needed to run the water pumps.
Farmers in the north of the Malaysian peninsula have been warned of the impending drought and were told to prepare for the worst.
According to the Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute, temperatures above 34°C will lead to lower crop yields.
The optimum growth temperature is between 24°C and 34°C.
