ALOR STAR: The national Farmers' Organisation Authority (LPP) has urged the federal government to expedite cash aid disbursement to over 700 padi farmers affected by recent floods.
Its chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar stressed on the urgency of this aid, saying that the affected farmers needed financial support to commence the second cultivation round for this year, scheduled to begin by the end of the month.
The affected agricultural organisations include Langkawi, Pendang Selatan, Kubur Panjang, Gurun, Pokok Sena, Kuala Nerang, Naka, Padang Serai, Kuala Ketil, Lubuk Batu, Changlun, and South Kuala Muda.
"Based on our application to the Kedah Agricultural Department for damage assessment across 13 Area Farmers' Organisations (PPKs) under Kedah LPP's oversight, we estimate that 1,461ha involving 767 farmers have suffered losses totaling RM6.99 million.
"We hope the government will act swiftly to disburse the cash aid so farmers can proceed with the next cultivation round. They have already lost income and profit from the floods after their crops, which were ready for harvest, were destroyed," he told reporters after presenting cash aid to farmers impacted by a prolonged dry spell in January today.
Present at the event was Kedah LPP Director Azizul Lebai Ishak.
Mahfuz said that without this support, farmers would face increasing debt burdens as they attempt to start the next padi cultivation cycle.
A total of 887 padi farmers from eight PPKs received cash aid amounting to RM1.29 million.
He also said that LPP had distributed food baskets to nearly 1,000 farmers affected by the floods, with an allocation of RM25,000.
It was reported that last month's floods devastated nearly 1,500ha of padi fields under LPP's purview and approximately 5,900 ha under the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada).
Meanwhile, at today's event, Mahfuz presented RM2.695 million under the 12th Malaysia Plan's (12MP) rolling plan 4 to eight PPKs.
This allocation, part of the Padi Seeds Development Programme, is intended for PPKs involved in padi seed production under LPP.
He added that a total of RM27.5 million had been allocated to Kedah LPP under the 12MP for various agricultural development programmes.
LPP operates five padi seed production plants in Kedah, Penang, and Perak, with the latest facility, the Kubur Panjang plant in Pendang, now in operation.
Mahfuz said that each plant had the capacity to produce 5,000 metric tonnes of padi seeds.