Prolonged dry spell looms over Malaysia

Tashny Sukumaran and Michelle Tam The Star 12 May 14;

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians might have to brace for more than just water rationing and hot weather during the second half of the year when the El Nino weather pattern is predicted to hit the country.

El Nino, a periodic warming in the waters of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, is expected to bring about a prolonged dry spell, seriously affecting farmers who grow rice, vegetables and fruits and also adversely impact the country’s oil palm industry.

With padi farmers facing the biggest brunt, the country’s rice stockpile is expected to drop, raising questions of food security.

Agriculture and Agro-based Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said rice growers needed a lot of water.

“We can get water for other agriculture areas but not for padi fields. Water must flood the fields and cannot be less than the needed amount,” he said.

Ismail Sabri said the ministry was making plans to brace for El Nino and had held discussions with Department of Irrigation and Drainage, rice farmers and others in the industry.

He said it was vital to identify the padi areas, explaining that situations were different in the various states.

“As the padi season and harvest cycles differ in the states we will have to look at strategies to use for methods of water retention,” he said.

Ismail Sabri said areas under the Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (Kada) and the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) were not expected to face serious problems as both had enough irrigation but other growing areas that required water to be channelled in from elsewhere would face difficulties.

As for fruit and vegetable production, he said the ministry was identifying the types of produce that would be affected the most.

“If we cannot produce the adequate amounts, we will increase imports. The ministry will make sure that there is enough supply,” he added.

The ministry’s deputy secretary-general, Datuk Mohd Arif Abdul Rahman, said the country would rely on the national rice stockpile and also on rice sourced from Thailand and Cambodia.

He said even if prices go up because of shortage, the price would remain the same as it is a controlled item

Meanwhile, Bernama reports that Mada is making preparations to ensure the water supply system in the area is not interrupted.

“We expect the channelling system for the first padi season not to be affected because the water was supplied in three phases – on March 26, April 9 and April 23.

“What worries us is that we are entering the second season which begins in September until February.

“We need to monitor the occurrence of the phenomenon,” Mada chairman Datuk Othman Aziz said yesterday.

He said the process of channelling water to the padi areas depended upon water levels in the three Mada dams, but the priority was on domestic usage.

Rare plants and animals also at risk
The Star 12 May 14;

PETALING JAYA: It’s not just consumers and farmers who need to be wary of El Nino. Rare plants and animal species found in the forest reserves of Borneo are at risk too.

Malaysian Nature Society communications head Andrew Sebastian said the warm weather could lead to a shorter flowering period for plants, affecting insects.

“This in turn affects birds and the wildlife that feed on insects and so on. The whole food chain is impacted,” he told The Star.

Borneo is home to at least 15,000 different plant species, 5,000 of which are endemic to the area. The island is also home to many rare and diverse insect species and an average of three new species are discovered every month.

A study reported in the journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, stated that Borneo’s 130 million-year-old rainforests would be threatened by the inevitable dry spell.

“The small number of species that cannot adapt well to drought conditions will be at even greater risk of dying off,” it noted.

El Nino is also expected to hit the oil palm industry, with Bloomberg predicting that prices could hit RM3,500 per tonne.

Indonesia and Malaysia produce 86% of the world’s stock, and the threat of inadequate rain had already been affecting prices.

Groups: It’s time Malaysia became self-sufficient
The Star 12 May 14;

PETALING JAYA: The El Nino phenomenon has drawn attention to Malaysia’s food security situation, as noted by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

In his report, Oliver De Schutter pointed out that Malaysia’s food trade deficit had grown from RM1bil in 1990 to RM13bil in 2013.

He said Malaysia was not self-sufficient in the production of rice, fruits, vegetables, beef, mutton and milk.

De Schutter warned that the focus on export-led commodity production made Malaysia vulnerable to price shocks in the international markets as the country depended on imports for basic food staples.

Padi growing expert and rice consultant Ho Nai Kin said Malaysia should work towards self-sufficiency.

“Good land is being used for non-agricultural purposes,” he pointed out. “No amount of money spent can make a difference unless we use our natural resources constructively.”

Consumer groups blamed the Government for not being concerned about ensuring food security, especially the supply of rice.

Consumers Association of Penang president SM Mohamed Idris said Malaysia should not depend on imports.

“Rather than blame environmental problems, we should encourage padi farming,” he said.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) deputy president Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah said due attention had not been given to food security in Malaysia’s development plans.

“It could be cheaper to import, but what if the countries we buy from face shortages? They may sell less and we will be in trouble,” he said.

After the rice crisis of 2008, the Government increased its national stockpile from 92,000 metric tonnes to 292,000 metric tonnes.

In 2012, Malaysian produced 1.68mil tonnes of rice and imported 1.01mil tonnes, placing the country at the self-sufficiency level of 62.4%.

A dry wind blowing our way
ADIE SURI ZULKEFLI New Straits Times 12 May 14;

SOUTHWEST MONSOON: It's expected to bring less rainfall, says Met Dept

KUALA LUMPUR: MALAYSIANS are bracing for the southwest monsoon and another dry spell set to begin from the middle of this month and end in September.

However, during this time, rain is expected to fall in the mornings, especially in coastal areas of west coast states in the peninsula, said the Meteorological Department.

It said the southwest monsoon was expected to bring less rainfall than normal next month in all states before returning to normal levels between July and September, except in Sarawak.

Sarawak is expected to be much drier than normal next month, in July and September, except for August, when rainfall levels will be normal.

For more information on weather conditions, call 1-300-22-1MET or go to the department's website at www.met.gov.my.

In Pendang, the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) said it would hold a meeting with the relevant agencies to discuss preparations for the dry spell and the risk of El Nino striking Southeast Asia.

Its chairman, Datuk Othman Aziz, said among the topics to be discussed was how to ensure ample water supply during the dry spell, which could last up to six months.

Mada manages three main dams in Kedah -- the Pedu, Muda and Ahning -- which irrigate over 96,000ha of padi fields in Kedah and Perlis, as well as for general consumption in the domestic and industrial sectors.

Othman said cloud seeding was an option at three catchment areas should the dry spell continue beyond September.

"It is difficult to say how long the dry spell will last but we will study contingency plans to ensure ample water supply for the state," he said after attending Mada's "Meet the Customers" session in Kobah yesterday.

Othman said the water storage at the three dam's stood at 1.5 billion cubic metres, enough to cater to two padi planting seasons, besides domestic and industrial use.

The raw water storage had helped Kedah brace for the prolonged dry spell earlier this year.

"Normally, there would be rainfall by September, but if the dry spell goes on beyond the normal period, we might have to consider rescheduling the second planting season."

The Kedah padi planting sector contributes 40 per cent to the nation's padi production.