Drought reduces water levels in key MADA dams, impacting rice yields, as minister warns of geopolitical risks to food security

JERLUN: Water levels in dams managed by the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) have been severely impacted by an ongoing drought. This is expected to affect rice production yields for the current season.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said water levels at main dams, particularly Pedu Dam, have fallen to around 40%. He attributed this to extreme heat and unpredictable weather patterns.

“Rain has started falling in some areas, but it has not had a major impact because rain needs to fall in the upstream areas to replenish the dam reservoirs,” he said. For now, MADA plans to implement a dry seeding method while awaiting normal water supply from the dams.

Mohamad acknowledged that rice yields have declined slightly due to the erratic weather. He said the government has announced a relatively high compensation aid allocation to ease the burden on farmers.

According to the official MADA website, Pedu Dam’s water level is at 42.23%. Muda Dam is at 11.12% and Ahning Dam is at 55.96%, with the overall dam water level at 41.55%.

In a separate development, Mohamad said his ministry is closely monitoring the impact of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on national food security.

“Although food supplies are not directly affected for now, our main concern is the rise in global oil prices which could spike the cost of importing and transporting food items,” he stated.

He has instructed the International and Food Security Division to prepare a report on the conflict’s impact within a week. “We are worried that if it persists, oil prices will rise and affect market goods prices, so we hope a ceasefire can be expedited.”

Meanwhile, he assured that stocks of beef, chicken and coconut are sufficient for the upcoming Aidilfitri festive season.

 The Sun Malaysia