ALOR STAR: Kedah will carry out flood damage assessment on paddy plantations and other commercial crops in the state.
State Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Committee chairman Datuk Suraya Yaacob said as for now, it is estimated that some 977ha of padi fields in the state had been hit by floods following unusual continuous heavy rainfall last Thursday and Friday.
She said 765ha of the paddy fields are under the Muda Agriculture Development Authority (Mada) territory while the rest are located outside of Mada area.
She said the assessment is being carried out by Mada and the Farmers Organisation Board.
"The assessment will be done on the number of farmers affected and the losses incurred, and we expect the process to take between 4 and 5 months to be completed," she said.
Suraya said although most of the paddy fields under Mada have already been harvested, some farmers outside Mada have already began planting for the second season of the year.
“This is especially so for padi farmers in Kuala Muda district, they have began the planting process before the flood hit the state.
“It will cost them extra money to buy new seedlings to replanting, so the state government will seek aid from the Federal government to ease their burden," she said after visiting SK Titi Gajah flood relief centre here today.
Suraya said beside paddy farming sector, the state Agriculture Department is also accessing the possible damages to other type of crops including fruits orchards and vegetable farms in the affected areas.
On a related matter, Suraya who is also the state Welfare Committee chairman, said the Welfare Department would provide aid to all flood evacuees in the state.
She hoped the victims would be patient as the flood situation in Kedah is gradually improving.
She said the department has been receiving good cooperation from other government agencies in providing aid to the victims at more than 20 relief centres in the state.
In PERLIS, paddy farmers were lucky that the flood occurred before they started planting for the year's second season.
State Agriculture and Agro-based committee chairman Bakri Ali said most of the farmers had just finished ploughing their paddy fields to prepare for the new planting season.
He added that there were a number of farmers in Sanglang and Simpang Empat who have started planting the paddy seedlings but fortunately, both areas were not affected by the flood.
"However, the planting season will be delayed for seven days from the initial schedule." he said when contacted.