Major effort: Shuib Ismail, 65, working at a padi field in Kedah. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The nation’s rice-producing belts have been reeling from a prolonged drought followed by unprecedented flooding.
For most parts of 2024, padi farmers in Kedah, Kelantan and Perlis had to grapple with the ravages of the weather, with crop damage resulting in loss of yield, putting national production at risk.
The worst is not over, according to the government.
The forecast for this year is an extended drought which threatens to compound the crisis facing the staple crop.
The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry has a strategy to combat the extremes of the climate and has called for “unified action across all sectors”.
“Since we cannot control the weather, together we must fortify our defences against nature’s unpredictability,” its Deputy Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said in an interview yesterday.“We must adjust to the climate changes occurring now, characterised by extreme weather patterns of severe droughts and floods.”He said remedial measures included upgrading critical infrastructure, turning to climate change-resistant padi varieties and preparing effective water management.
Kurup said the recent flooding in the country had affected 83,408 metric tonnes of padi, equivalent to 5.84 million 10kg packs of rice, raising concerns on national food security.
He said besides immediate relief, there were also long-term resilience plans, which included altering the planting season and developing climate-resistant padi varieties to address the pressing challenge of current and future climate disruptions.
As of November 2024, approximately 23,548ha of padi were damaged by floods, translating to 83,408 metric tonnes of the crop, Kurup said.
“When padi is processed into rice with a typical and standard conversion rate of about 70%, this results in 58,386 tonnes of rice, which is equivalent to the 5.84 million packs of rice,” he added.
Kurup said the local weather last year had been “extraordinarily unusual”, with floods and the monsoon lasting for an extended period.
“Although we had forecasts from the Meteorological Department, we could never know the extent of the damage until it happens,” he added.
Kedah and Kelantan are responsible for a significant portion of Malaysia’s rice production, with Kedah being the largest rice producer with over 200,000ha of padi cultivation through the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada), supplying over 40% of domestic demand. Kelantan is responsible for 12% of Malaysia’s total rice production.
On infrastructure upgrades, Kurup said this was to ensure consistent and sufficient water supply.
“This includes improving irrigation systems and water drainage systems to manage water outflow effectively. Some ongoing efforts include infrastructure work, such as clearing and cleaning drainage systems to restore water flow, as well as repairing pumphouses supplying water to padi fields,” he added.
Kurup cited the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia’s (Nahrim) forecast of extended droughts between 2025 and 2030 due to the El Nino phenomenon, followed by major floods between 2030 and 2035 as a result of the La Nina effect.
“We need cooperation from the various agencies and state governments that control land and waterways. It’s not a one-ministry task,” he said.
Kurup said the ministry was also working with farmers to adjust planting schedules and avoid farming during the monsoon and drought season.
“The schedule change is being coordinated through the Agriculture Department and the Irrigation and Drainage Department, with engagement at the district level with farmers.”
He said using drought-resistant padi varieties, such as the MR297 and MRQ76, in the upcoming season in the first quarter of the year, was a game-changer as it could go up to a month without irrigation.
Kurup said there were ongoing efforts to develop more padi varieties resistant to climate change, such as the MR380, MR381 and MR382 varieties by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), which have a shorter maturation period and are resilient against climate change over a longer period.
“They are now at the lab studies phase, expected to be introduced next year after trial plot planting,” he added.
The deputy minister said Mardi was also collaborating with several other countries involved in the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Benefit Sharing Fund under the United Nations.
“We are working with Indonesia, the Philippines and Laos which face similar issues with padi affected by floods. This joint research aims to develop flood- resistant padi that can survive being submerged for up to 14 days by 2028,” he said.
On the government’s plans to have five planting seasons in two years, as announced under Budget 2025, Kurup said the ministry would provide an update on this later.
For now, the priority was to process and disburse all forms of assistance, collecting data and conducting necessary repairs and upgrades, he said.
He advised padi farmers to sign up for the Skim Takaful Tanaman Padi launched last September.
“By registering and starting their planting under this scheme, farmers are qualified to receive aid.
“Previously, assistance was limited to aid of up to RM1,800 per hectare depending on the crop’s age, with younger crops receiving less. The new takaful scheme offers RM3,000 per hectare and covers all natural disasters, not just floods,” he added.
