KUALA LUMPUR: The Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry has outlined 13 steps for the agro-food sector to mitigate the effects of the El Nino phenomenon, including for agro sub-sectors, such as crops, livestock and fisheries.
“The lack of water can hinder crop growth, reducing productivity and giving rise to diseases, such as brown spots and blast. As for padi cultivation, with the exception of Sabah and Sarawak, maintenance on 281 tube wells will be carried out, along with the construction of new ones,” it said in a statement.
The ministry said RM4 million out of the RM20 million allocated in the 2016 Budget would address water scarcity in the agro-food sector.
“In the fisheries sector, the measures taken were stopping the export of fish, such as kembong, selayang, selar, cencaru and pelaling and, allowing pukat jerut from the east coast of the peninsula to operate in waters off Sarawak, where pelagic fish are less exploited.
“Marine catches showed rising sea temperatures as a result of El Nino were the cause of fish migrating, affecting the catch for fishermen.”
Among measures taken for the livestock sector included distributing food packs containing vitamins and energising liquids.
The ministry said the drought had caused a reduction in weight and reproductive efficiency in livestock and this could result in losses for farmers.