Floods damage unharvested padi, newly seeded fields in Kedah

ALOR STAR: Between five and 10 per cent of padi fields under the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) have been inundated by floods triggered by continuous heavy rain and high tides over the past few days.

Malaysian Padi Farmers Brotherhood Organisation (Pesawah) chairman Abdul Rashid Yob said although nearly 90 per cent of the planting areas had been harvested, the remaining unharvested plots and newly seeded fields were now suffering losses.

He said the confluence of heavy rain and high tides choked drainage channels and prevented water from flowing into the sea, submerging padi plots, particularly in Mada Region Three in Pendang and Phase One areas in Yan.

"When unharvested padi remains submerged for two to three days, it rots, resulting in heavy losses for farmers. In fact, some areas in Yan where seeding for the new season had just finished were also submerged.

"Although the floodwaters are beginning to recede, the damage to seeds and standing padi plants submerged for days has already been done, impacting crops," he said when contacted here today.

Rashid said the disaster had also severely hit current padi yields, which dropped to below one tonne per relung, or about four tonnes per hectare.

He said the situation dealt a severe blow to farmers, who were now left struggling to secure working capital for the upcoming planting season.

"Farmers are heavily burdened because their capital has been wiped out, yet they still have to pay rental fees for harvesters and tractors. If the crop is a total loss, that burden multiplies.

"Therefore, the government and relevant agencies must be proactive and go to the ground to assess the actual situation thoroughly, rather than doing a half-hearted job," he said.

He said swift and comprehensive aid is urgently needed to help affected farmers revive their operations and prepare for future extreme weather uncertainties.