Malaysia

The Star, Feb 27, 2002
Vegetable Produce Affected by Dry Spell

Consumers may be eating fewer vegetables if the dry spell continues for several more months. Farmers say water pipes and wells are drying up and they are already feeling the "heat" in their frantic attempts to find water sources within their land. This is the second setback faced by vegetable farmers in recent months due to weather conditions; the first being the monsoon season when flash floods destroyed crops worth millions of ringgit. If the current dry spell continues, it will cause their products to wilt and die before they are harvested, said the Malaysian Vegetable Farmers Association. The farmers, whose farms are located in remote areas and far from water sources like rivers and streams, have, began digging up wells to source for water but not many are successful. Association president Liew Chow said had been instances that after hours of digging, water is still not coming out from the wells and whatever water reserve some farms have are depleting fast with no source to replenish.

Liew said the situation would result in a shortage of supply and, unlike during the rainy season where supply could be drawn from less affected areas, there are no alternatives as the dry spell has affected the whole country. "We are not saying that there will be no vegetables at all...there will be but the supply is small," he said. He said the water crisis was not only experienced by farmers in Cameron Highlands, but also those in lowlands in Johor and Selangor.