KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — RM55 million has been allocated for the maintenance of irrigation and drainage systems for agriculture nationwide under the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (MAFS) this year.
Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said that RM14.8 million from the total is specifically for the East Coast states.
The initiative is part of the MAFS' proactive mitigation measures to reduce floods' impact on the agricultural sector, particularly in East Coast states.
"In addition, the ministry also ensures the readiness of mobile pumps to operate at the optimum level in padi planting areas to drain out water, besides ensuring all tide control gates in these areas are functioning for a more effective control of the water flow,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad was responding to Pasir Puteh MP Datuk Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh's query on mitigation measures taken by the MAFS to ensure the agricultural sector is not affected during floods, especially in the East Coast states.
He added that other measures taken include implementing climate-smart agriculture, developing varieties resistant to extreme weather, introducing innovative agricultural technologies, and strengthening the database systems using the Geographic Information System.
The minister hopes that Malaysia's weather forecast system can be improved for more accurate forecasting to reduce the impact of floods on the agricultural sector.
To Zawawi's supplementary question on how prepared the government is to provide adequate drainage, especially in the Pasir Puteh area, Mohamad said that for this year, the ministry had received approval for two projects, with a project cost ceiling of RM16 million.
The projects involved upgrading the tidal gate and pump house for areas outside the rice granaries, including Pasir Puteh.
— Bernama
