ALOR SETAR: Recent floods in Kedah and Perlis have affected nearly 11,657ha of padi fields, leading to losses of nearly RM20mil.
Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh said the affected area includes 5,550 farmers across both states.
He said the worst-hit area was Region I in Perlis, with 5,721ha affected, followed by Region II Jitra (5,648ha), Region III Pendang (271ha), and Region IV Kota Sarang Semut (16.74ha).
"Many crops were between seven and 45 days old, which has impacted farmers' incomes and disrupted the 2/2025 planting season schedule. We expect losses to exceed current estimates due to additional costs like seeds and ploughing fees," he told reporters on Thursday (Dec 11).
Ismail said Mada submitted a post-flood allocation request to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry on Dec 7. While awaiting approval, RM611,000 has been disbursed for emergency works in the affected fields.
"We have allocated over RM1mil for cleaning drainage and irrigation, farmyard recovery and maintaining the water channel. The cost of recovery works in the flood-hit areas is expected to reach RM11.2mil," he said.
He said assessments are ongoing to ensure affected farmers receive assistance under the Padi Crop Takaful Scheme.
Ismail said Mada remains well-positioned to ensure the country's rice supply is not compromised.
He added that the Muda area, covering 100,641ha and farmed by 55,904 farmers, remains Malaysia's primary rice-producing region, contributing 35 to 40% of the country's total annual rice production.
"The 2024 performance demonstrates a positive trend, with 790,658 tonnes of padi harvested compared to 775,186 tonnes in 2023.
"This increase is due to the successful implementation of the IR4.0 Smart Farm Project, which integrates Internet of Things technology (for smart agriculture), along with soil and water sensors, drones, and digital monitoring systems... this technology not only helps farmers to work more efficiently but also minimises input wastage and boosts yields," he said. – Bernama
