KUALA NERANG:The hot weather in Kedah since November is not only drying out padi fields, but other crops as well, including Volvariella mushrooms, whose farmers have been suffering heavy losses.
Ismail Ibrahim, 63, from Kampung Musa here, said he previously enjoyed a yield of up to 30kg of mushrooms per day. That has dropped to between 10 and 15kg daily in the past month.
‘The yield is badly affected because Vovariella mushrooms need lots of moisture for growth, but this hot weather has dried out the bed soil.To ensure some survive, I water them twice a day,’ he said on Saturday.
His mushrooms are planted in his rubber smallholding as the rubber trees provide the shade needed for growth.
Ismail said when temperatures soared, rubber trees shed their leaves, leaving the mushrooms exposed to heat even further. He said as production was now low, he sold his mushrooms only to regular customers at RM15 per kg.
Another mushroom farmer, Mohd Azrul Nizam Othman, 40, from Kampung Belukar Luas here, has the same problem.
His farm used to produce 10 to 15kg of mushrooms daily, but now it can yield only about 5kg.
‘Before this, watering was done only in the early stages of planting, but now, I pump water from the nearby reservoir.’
Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said the dry spell had caused water shortages in several areas, which could affect padi yields and marine produce supplies when sea water temperature rose.
On Thursday, Muda Agricultural Development Authority general manager Datuk Fouzi Ali said water levels at three dams in the state were dropping.
The dry spell in the northern peninsula is expected to last until March.