Perlis paddy farmers suffer RM189,000 losses due to floods

PADANG BESAR: Eighty-seven farmers in six villages in Beseri here suffered losses amounting to over RM189,000 after their paddy fields were inundated by the floods.
The floods destroyed more than 108ha of paddy field run by the Beseri Area Farmers Organisation (AFO) in the Padang Malau, Darat, Belukar, Beseri Dalam, Guar Jentik and Padang Gelam villages.
Beseri AFO general manager Faizul Mat Hassan said the floods occurred following heavy rain over the past three days, resulting in the floodwaters rising up to 1m in the villages and paddy fields.
He said the farmers had forked out money to plough the land and engage workers to help sow the seeds.
"There there is also the cost of paddy seedling subsidy, fertiliser and weedkiller borne by the government," he said to Bernama here today.
Faizul said many of the paddy plants destroyed by the floods were between 65 and 80 days old and would have produced yield in a few more weeks.
He said the affected farmers had been advised to lodge police reports. — Bernama