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Malaysia, which has been battling a heat wave in recent months, is expected to face weak El Niño conditions from June, the environment minister said on Wednesday. The intensity of the weather phenomenon will increase to moderate levels by November and will result in a 20% to 40% reduction in rainfall, said Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change.
Some of the effects of El Niño will also be seen between March and April next year, he said in parliament. So far, the Southeast Asian nation is not expected to experience an extreme heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius for several consecutive days, Nik Nazmi said. “However, there is still a possibility that the country will experience temperatures slightly higher than normal, with an increase of between 0.5 degrees Celsius and 1.0 degrees Celsius,” he added.
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The first signs of hot, dry weather caused by El Niño are threatening food producers across Asia, with palm oil and rice production likely to be hit in Indonesia and Malaysia – which supply 80% of the world's palm oil – and in Thailand, according to analysts.
Malaysia is the world's second largest producer of the widely consumed palm oil. The country's crude palm oil production could fall by between 1 million to 3 million tonnes next year due to El Niño, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) said late last month.
Source: Seane Lennon | agrolink
