Unrelenting heat threatens Malaysia’s northern padi harvest as dam levels drop
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The heatwave across Kedah and Perlis is straining padi farmers, who are pressing on with field work.
PHOTO: REUTERS
ALOR SETAR – Mr Muhammad Rafirdaus Abu Bakar looked at his padi fields with a frown. The stalks stood tall – not a good sign for the harvest.
A good harvest would have seen the stalks bending over under the weight of the grains.
The heatwave across Kedah and Perlis is straining padi farmers, who are pressing on with field work, although they are certain the yields will fall with the heat.
Dry conditions will produce brittle, lighter grains due to insufficient water, directly cutting harvest volume and income, said Mr Rafirdaus, 50.
“Our yield is reduced again during grading. Imported rice is now cheaper, so local padi has become less competitive.”
He added that grading deductions had risen to 24 per cent from 20 per cent previously, which pushed up costs per tonne, even as quality dropped because of the weather.
The current planting cycle is expected to end by late February, with the first 2026 planting season likely to begin in April or early May.
Farmers in Perlis face similar pressure.
Mr Khairil Anuar Safar, 54, said the coming harvest would be weaker as the heat had reduced yields.
He said the weather could not be controlled and hoped the federal government would step in with support ahead of Ramadan and Hari Raya in March and April.
Based on the PublicInfoBanjir portal, which provides information about water levels and floods, water at Perlis’ Timah Tasoh Dam stood at 27.81m on Feb 9, just below its maximum of 29.10m, with storage at about 62.04 per cent.
But Kedah’s dams are getting lower.
The Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) said it was monitoring dam levels and weather conditions to ensure sufficient water for agriculture, domestic and industrial use.
As at Feb 5, storage at Mada-managed dams stood at 45.90 per cent at Pedu, 40.20 per cent at Muda and 59.61 per cent at Ahning, bringing overall storage to 47.81 per cent, down from 73.74 per cent in 2025.
For the first padi season expected in April, Pedu Dam storage was projected to recover to about 53.2 per cent with support from monsoon transition rains.
Farmers Organisation Authority chairman Mahfuz Omar said field teams from LPP, farmers’ organisations and state agriculture departments are monitoring conditions and compiling data to provide assistance using disaster funds.
He said the aid might not cover all losses but could ease the burden on farmers and help them prepare for the next planting season.
Datuk Mahfuz urged farmers to enrol in the Padi Planting Takaful Scheme, which provides compensation if crops are affected by disasters.
Weather experts have said the scorching heat in the north may not see any respite until April, while parts of Johor are continuing to battle peat fires.
In George Town, Penang Water Supply Corporation urged consumers to use water prudently following the prolonged dry spell.
Chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said the utility had implemented a two-dam strategy on the island and pumped an average of 407 million litres a day of treated water from the Sungai Dua plant in January to stabilise supply.
He said minimum releases from the island’s dams were reduced from Jan 1 to preserve storage, while controlled releases from the expanded Mengkuang Dam were carried out when river levels fell and abstraction from Sungai Muda was slightly reduced.
As of Feb 10, effective capacity stood at 87.06 per cent at Air Itam Dam, 94.1 per cent at Teluk Bahang Dam and 89.0 per cent at the expanded Mengkuang Dam. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
