ALOR SETAR: Just weeks ago, padi farmers were looking at dry, parched fields and hoping for rain. Now the rains have come – in a torrent – and many plots in Pendang, Kedah, are flooded instead.
Farmers remain cautious about resuming planting, however, fearing that harvesting during the monsoon season could affect yields and grain quality.
Farmer Shuib Ismail, 66, said he has yet to begin planting because of the flooded plots.
And there is another problem – fuel.
“Not all farmers can afford their own tractors, so we rent them but tractor operators are unable to fix prices because fuel costs are unstable.
“It used to cost below RM500 per ha, but now it is at least RM800 per ha,” he said yesterday.
Shuib said planting too early would also mean harvesting in October or November, during the rainy season.
“We may delay planting. I plan to start between the end of June and the end of July. Harvesting would then fall towards the end of the year when conditions are drier.
“Although it means some delay, we can produce better yield.”
He said dry weather during harvest is crucial as prolonged rain could affect grain quality, increase moisture levels and make it difficult for machinery to enter flooded fields.
Despite the recent rains, Shuib is worried if irrigation supply will remain sufficient.
“Although it is raining and the fields are flooded, dam levels are still low and we are unsure if there will be consistent water supply,” he said.
Water levels at Muda Dam stood at 16.52% yesterday, up from 7.43% on May 2.
The dam is a key irrigation source for Kuala Muda areas, which produce about 40% of the country’s padi supply.
Ahning Dam recorded 51.55%, while Pedu Dam stood at 42.6% and Beris Dam at 58.37%, all showing an upward trend.
The Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) said cloud seeding operations had been initiated at several key dams in Kedah, while repair works on irrigation canals and land preparation by farmers are also being intensified.
Kubang Pasu farmer Abdul Rahman Mat, 58, said some farmers are waiting in the hopes that dam levels will stabilise and planting schedules can be better managed.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu had earlier said that more than half of the padi fields in Kedah, including Mada areas, entered the ploughing stage.
Although dam levels remain below satisfactory levels, he said planting is expected to begin as soon as water becomes available in the fields.
Earlier this month, it was reported that almost 90% of padi farmers in Kedah had not planted for the first season due to rising operational costs and water shortages.
Meanwhile, irrigation and drainage systems in Penang’s padi-growing areas are functioning well, the state’s agrotechnology, food security and cooperative development committee chairman Datuk Rashidi Zinol said.
He added that planting in South Seberang Perai had largely been completed on schedule while North Seberang Perai recorded only a one-week delay in water entry due to irrigation management.
Central Seberang Perai, meanwhile, experienced a two-week delay because of slower water entry and longer land preparation.
The situation remains manageable and has not affected overall padi production in the state, said Rashidi.
