PUTRAJAYA, Jan 21 – The high temperatures due to the El Nino phenomenon currently sweeping the country is expected to affect the quality of rice produced, resulting in cracked and chalky rice grains, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said that the increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation for a prolonged period will affect the yield. However, it said, this depends on the variety planted and the area of cultivation. In general, the optimum temperature for rice cultivation is between 24C to 34C and annual rainfall exceeding 2000 mm.
According to the Meteorological Department, the El Nino phenomenon will cause a temperature rise of 0.5 to 2.0 degrees Celsius and reduction in precipitation between 20 up to 60 percent resulting in hot and dry weather expected to hit the country from January to March. Results of research by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) showed that the increase in temperature at night by one degree Celsius can reduce rice yield by about 10 percent.
