THE Self-Sufficiency Level (SSL) for rice production in Malaysia is expected to decrease to 50% this year due to extreme heat and drought affecting about 130,000 acres (52,609.13ha) of paddy fields. 

This represents a 10% drop from the annual target of 60%, which aims to reduce the country’s reliance on imported rice.

Hence, inadequate irrigation in key paddy-growing regions such as Perak, Perlis, Kedah, Melaka and Kelantan has severely impacted crops that are currently 50 to 60 days old. 

The situation has worsened in Perlis, where the Timah Tasoh Dam has halted agricultural water supply due to critically low water levels, and Bukit Merah Lake in Perak has been dry since June. 

Chairman of the Board of Farmers’ Organisations Datuk Mahfuz Omar was quoted in a Malay daily as saying the rice paddy areas affected by the drought are in Perak, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu involving a total of 8,788 rice paddies.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Farmer’s Brotherhood Association (PeSAWAH) Special Duties Exco of the Abdul Rashid Yob stated that as of today, the most critically affected areas by the hot weather include approximately 5,000ha in Kerian, Bagan Serai, Selinsing and Semanggol. The reported fields are already dry.

Furthermore, 37,000ha of paddy fields in Kelantan under the Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (KADA) are struggling with insufficient irrigation, and non-rice bowl areas in Melaka are also affected, leading to a projected SSL drop and potential losses for farmers. — TMR