The current extreme hot and dry weather conditions have forced farmers in Seberang Perai, Penang to cultivate alternative crops to ensure that their source of income is not affected.

Paddy farmer Mohd Yusri Mustafa, 42, said the drought had caused the yield of paddy crops under the Padang Tembusu Area Farmers Organisation (PPK) in Penaga, near here, to drop by 40 percent or RM30,000.

“We usually experience drought from January...