Vegetable farmers in Malaysia brace for lower crop yield as El Nino and haze looms

JOHOR BAHRU: Mr Naviin Thiagaran and his father have been farming long beans, okra and cucumbers for almost five years on a small plot of land in Kota Tinggi, Johor. The pair have grown accustomed to working under sweltering hot conditions as they typically tend to their crops in the morning up till noon. 

However, it was only last month - amid a heatwave that scorched many parts of the country - that Mr Thiagaran fully realised the potential dangers of working in such conditions. 

One morning while tending to his crops, the 29-year-old felt unwell and was rushed to hospital for treatment. 

“The heat during that period was unbearable, nothing like we have experienced before,” said Mr Thiagaran. 

“I had all kinds of symptoms at one go. I was feverish, (had) muscle ache, nauseous and I felt like I had gastric pain. I could barely walk and just had to lie down,” he added. 

He was treated for heat exhaustion at a nearby hospital and discharged after three hours of monitoring. Although he has not suffered any long-term effects, Mr Thiagaran and his father are now taking precautions.

“Yes, our crop yields are lower because we have to cut down on our working time due to the heat. We take more breaks and schedule time to drink every 10 minutes,” said Mr Thiagaran. 

“But it’s not worth it if we get hurt,” he added. 

Mr Thiagaran is among some vegetable farmers across Malaysia who have felt the impact of hot weather that has hit the country in recent months. 

With the El Nino phenomenon on the horizon, warm and dry weather conditions are expected to persist across many parts of the country until November. The issue may further worsen with the presence of transboundary haze that is anticipated to occur. 

Amid these extreme weather patterns, industry players whom CNA spoke to believe that the conditions are likely to trigger a lower crop yield in the short term, which could drive up prices. 

El NINO, HAZE COULD IMPACT FARMER’S CROP YIELD: ENVIRONMENT MINISTER 

Speaking in parliament on Jun 7, Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the country is expected to experience a weak El Nino from June onwards, reaching moderate intensity in November. 

The El Nino phenomenon, which is a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean, can potentially lead to warmer and drier weather in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

However, Mr Nik Nazmi maintained that extreme warm temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius are not predicted to occur between June and December. 

Furthermore, countries in Southeast Asia are also gearing up for a higher risk of transboundary haze in the coming months, in what has become an almost annual affair in the region.

In a recent interview with CNA, Mr Nik Nazmi said that the hot weather conditions, as well as the impending transboundary haze, could lead to “quite worrying levels” of crop yields for farmers in Malaysia. 

“I think we tend to underestimate (the impact of hot weather). Maybe in a way we think, oh, we're Malaysians …. And we are used to the heat. But we all recognise now that the heat is unusual. The hot days are longer, and the temperatures are getting higher,” said the Member of Parliament for Setiawangsa. 

He added that this impact in yield could possibly impact the supply chain and increase the prices of food. 

“For the farming sector … the yields have suffered. Drier weather with higher temperatures has impacted (food supply) on a global scale. We have just seen a severe increase in prices of food as countries exit from COVID-19 and because of the (Ukraine) War. Now we are seeing that in climate change as well,” said Mr Nik Nazmi. 

“So that's why when people like to say that climate change or environmental issues have nothing to do with bread and butter items, I correct them and say that it has everything to do,” he added. 

Meteorologist Dr Azizan Abu Samah of Universiti Malaya told CNA that El Nino phenomenon on top of the transboundary haze is likely to result in “prolonged hot and dry weather” until October. 

“Met Malaysia has confirmed that there is a high chance we are entering the El Nino phase this month. When this happens, there will be less rainwater and excessive heat, causing many crops to shrivel up,” said Dr Azizan. 

Farmer Jerome Ragavan, who runs a vegetable farm in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan, told CNA that the haze and El Nino phenomenon will be a “double whammy” for farmers. 

Mr Ragavan manages a 6-acre plot of land and grows choy sum, lime and chilli via the hydroponics method. He sells the vegetables to local markets in the area. 

“The haze cuts off sunlight and disrupts the process of photosynthesis. At the same time, warmer weather from El Nino would increase the alkalinity of the water and this leads to more unhealthy algae growing in the root system,” said the 60-year-old. 

He estimated that the crop yield will drop by about 30 per cent this year due to the unusual weather conditions. 

“When I started out nine years ago, on a typical plot I expected to get about 70 kilos of produce. But now when the weather is warmer and hazy, I am likely to only get about 40-50 kilos,” said Mr Ragavan. 

“So that is probably about a 30 per cent reduction (in produce),” he added. 

Mr Thiagaran, who runs the farm in Kota Tinggi, said: “Because of the heat and the haze, it's inevitable that farmers can’t be as productive. Early signs are that output could drop by as much as 40 to 50 per cent on our farm.” 

HOW TO MITIGATE IMPACT OF EXTREME WEATHER? 

In anticipation of warm and dry weather in the coming months, Mr Nik Nazmi told CNA that his ministry was keen on working with the relevant government agencies to enforce guidelines for different segments of the population.

He said this would include strict guidelines on outdoor activities when the temperature is too high or the air quality index (AQI) - which measures the densities of pollutants - enters an unhealthy level.

“So there are in fact existing guidelines. So maybe we need a refresher to know what to do when it happens,” said Mr Nik Nazmi. 

Meanwhile, farmers who spoke to CNA said that they are employing strategies to mitigate the impact of lower crop yield. 

Mr Thiagaran told CNA that he has installed UV-resistant plastic sheets over his crops to deflect some of the heat away and channelled some water from a nearby river for irrigation. 

However, he maintained that these might not be enough to offset lower productivity from him and his workers on the farm due to the hot and hazy weather. 

“The weather could get really unpredictable even though there are apps to forecast the weather. Lesser work gets done,” said Mr Thiagaran. 

Additionally for Mr Ragavan, he plans to shift the working hours at his farm to ensure he and his workers do not get exposed to the scorching heat. 

“When it’s hot, I tell my workers there’s no need to work. There’s no point because you can’t do much. We will work after 4-5pm and then work until 8pm, the working hours will be shifted a bit,” he added. 

When asked how he plans to deal with the 30 per cent fall in crop output, Mr Ragavan shrugged and said: “That’s life, we are definitely affected. Thirty per cent less crops means 30 per cent less income.” 

“You build up savings and you try to survive. Actually farming on this kind of scale is really like living from hand to mouth,” he added. 

Additional reporting by Aqil Haziq Mahmud