DUNGUN, An organic padi farmer in Kampung Durian Mentangau here failed to achieve optimum yields following the floods that hit the area since last week.
Amirul Naim Zaidi, 28, said the organic padi farm of about eight hectares that he and his family have been working on since 2021 is only able to produce two cycles of crops this year compared to three cycles during non-flood years.
"Floods are hard to predict. Sometimes they happen in November or December and sometimes in February...so during these four months (November to February) we really can't do anything," he told Bernama.
He said that the entire padi field, cultivated jointly with the Paka Cooperative, had been submerged in floodwaters since last Saturday.
Amirul Naim said his organic padi farm is the largest in Terengganu and it needs close care considering that the padi field area was only explored two years ago.
"We process the padi ourselves and market it ourselves through online business platforms. We cannot send the padi to the mill because this organic rice has its own processing standards and it must be produced without involving the use of any chemicals," he said, adding that the farm could produce up to 40 tonnes of rice per cycle.
However, Amirul Naim is grateful that the floods did not affect his sales and he is still able to meet customer demand because he has moved the rice stock to a safer place.
"We are only postponing padi planting while waiting for the flood to recede. After the flood recedes, we will continue the planting process," he said.
Amirul Naim aims to expand the farm to 20 hectares next year and hopes that the government can assist in building a suitable flood mitigation system to help the planting process run smoothly.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency