Climate change and Paddy Yield in Malaysia: A short communication

Rice is the most important staple of the Malaysian and paddy is the second most produced crop of the nation. Traditionally, population rise generates higher demand for milled rice in Malaysia. However, in the past 30 years, milled rice production in Malaysia has been falling short of the demand, prompting import of rice from other nations. The impact of climate change on paddy yield is foreseen to widen the gap of local supply and demand. Increasing temperature has been shown to be more damaging to paddy yield than rainfall variation. 1% increase in temperature could result in 3.44% drop in current paddy yield while a 1% increase in rainfall could cut current paddy yield by 0.12%. With rising temperature, increasing CO2 concentration is not predicted to enhance paddy yield though the photosynthetic rate of paddy depends on atmospheric CO2 concentration. This implies a more deleterious effect of temperature on paddy yield. Draught ensuing rainfall variability can also severely reduce paddy yield. Adaptation of paddy farmers to the impacts of climate change is crucial and this can be achieved with technology advancement in agricultural practices as well as research and development of new paddy breeds. Keywords: Climate change; Malaysia; Paddy; Rice; Yield