THE heat wave sweeping the country has helped farmers improve their crop yields, but the long-term effect of the situation is yet to be known, Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) acting director-general Abdul Rashid Bahri said.

He said this weather, which is expected to last several months, is being monitored by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.

“We see that crops are growing well compared with during the rainy season, which caused a decrease in supply,” he told a press conference in Puncak Alam today.

In terms of pricing, Rashid said the prices of vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes dropped a week before Raya, but prices have risen again as schools and restaurants reopen.

He said Fama will continue helping farmers by buying their produce if market prices are lower than production costs via floor prices. – Bernama, May 16, 2023.