KUALA LUMPUR: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is ready to conduct cloud seeding to induce rainfall in padi cultivation areas if the El Nino phenomenon persists.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said this would be carried out in collaboration with the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the National Disaster Management Agency and the Prime Minister's Department.
"If there is an urgent need, the ministry is ready to conduct cloud seeding. This is what we will do if the El Nino persists.
"In addition, the ministry has also taken measures such as installing backward pumps and portable pumps with up to 30hp, digging wells and repairing pump houses in order to supply water to affected areas," he said during Question Time on Thursday (June 15).
He said this in reply to a question from Nurul Amin Hamid (PN-Padang Terap) on measures that have been and are being planned by the government to buffer the impact of El Nino on the country's food supply, especially padi cultivation.
Mohamad Sabu said efforts such as increasing the number of irrigation ditches and deepening the drainage of padi fields had also been taken to ensure adequate water supply.
Responding to Nurul Amin's supplementary question about whether the ministry intended to set up a special fund help padi farmers and farmers affected by El Nino, Mohamad Sabu said the matter would be discussed at ministry level.
"If it is necessary we will discuss it with the Economy Ministry, Finance Ministry or others," he said. – Bernama
