Once a
clear winner, popular padi strain now a loser
PETALING JAYA: Clearfield was a popular strain when it was introduced seven
years ago.
Its efficacy and high yields – up to nine tonnes per hectare – made it a
much sought-after variation.
But its popularity wavered when farmers noticed its resistance to
herbicide.
Jitra-based Muhamad Rafirdaus Abu Bakar said that two years after it was
introduced, farmers found that herbicide used to eliminate weedy rice was no
longer effective.
From nine tonnes per hectare, the yield dropped to six.
“The weedy rice competed with Clearfield for water and fertilisers in the
padi field. It then dominated the growing space.”
Muhamad Rafirdaus, who owned a hectare of padi field and rented another
13ha due to the lucrative output, found himself caught in a bind after he was
unable to earn enough profit to pay the land lease, fertiliser and weedkiller
to sustain the bigger field.
“Never mind a decent wage. When you average the profits across one season,
it’s only about RM600 to RM700 a month,” he said.
And he said he was not alone. His friend operating under the Muda
Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) in Kedah also faced a similar
predicament.
Sekinchan Farm Operators Unit’s chairman Sam Fai said Sabak Bernam and
Sekinchan, traditionally known as the more productive rice-growing areas in the
country, were also not spared.
“The padi output from these two areas dropped from nine tonnes a hectare to
five.”
Farmers, he said, were unable to get back their operating cost.
Fai said many of them were contemplating switching to more profitable crops
such as oil palm.
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