Pineapple plantation in Benut, Pontian owned by Khalit being inundated during an earlier flood. He suffered losses amounting to RM200,000 from three years of floods.
Benut man suffers losses after heavy rain, hopes for aid
THE ongoing rainy weather has caused a pineapple farmer in Kampung Parit Abas, Benut, Pontian, to suffer losses of more than RM60,000.
Mohd Firdaus Satari said his plantation was inundated with water, the second time since the big flood that struck Pontian in 2020.
“After two days of heavy rain on Dec 5 and 6, the water rose quickly to knee level.
“On the morning of the third day, I was quite shocked to see that more than half of my 3.6ha plantation was submerged.
“The main problem with peat soil is that all plants will die if the land is exposed to too much water,” he said, adding that he lost about 30,000 pineapple plants that day.
Mohd Firdaus lodged a police report over the matter and submitted a compensation appeal to Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM).
“The plants cannot be easily replaced.
“It is hard to see what took years to be developed destroyed within seconds.
“I hope the government and LPNM can provide some aid to pineapple farmers like me,” he said, adding that five pineapple farmers in Kampung Parit Abas were affected by the flood.
Mohd Firdaus said that the other issue with planting on peatland soil was that the trench tended to get clogged within a year.
“The structural compound of the soil is a bit loose, so, during rainy weather, the trench will be filled with sediment,” he said.
Meanwhile, another farmer from Pontian, Khalit Kasmoin, 65, shared that he suffered losses amounting to RM200,000 during the monsoon seasons of 2019, 2020 and 2021.
“But this year I am quite lucky, as LPNM has built a water gate at the trench that prevents excess water from flowing into the plantation.”
He said nothing could be done for his pineapple plants in previous years as flood waters covered his plantation for about 14 days before receding.
“Floods usually occur in Alur Bukit, Pekan Nenas, after a huge amount of water flows down from Gunung Pulai and meets high water levels in the surrounding rivers.
“The Drainage and Irrigation Department has also deepened some of the trenches and rivers around Alur Bukit to ensure that all pineapple farms in Pontian are protected,” he added.
