More than 38,000 hectares of paddy fields damaged by floods in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 2): Devastating floods in Malaysia's northern states have submerged more than 38,000 hectares (93,900 acres) of paddy fields, farmers and authorities said, affecting major rice-producing areas and leaving farmers grappling with heavy losses. Malaysia and Thailand have been hit by the worst flooding in decades, with dozens dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, and authorities have warned of more heavy rain this week. Around 12,600 hectares of paddy fields have been flooded in the northwestern state of Kedah, which accounts for about half of Malaysia's rice output, Malaysian Padi Farmers Brotherhood Organisation treasurer Muhamad Rafirdaus Abu Bakar said. "In Kedah, this is the third time in two months we are experiencing floods. The paddies affected by the floods have just been planted. They are only a day to a month old," he said. State media agency Bernama reported that more than 26,000 hectares of paddy fields in northeastern state of Kelantan were damaged ...