Socio-economic level of paddy farmers under the management of MADA: A case study in the Pendang District, Kedah

• Main Authors: Hussin, Fauzi, Mat, Ab Wahab
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: College of Law, Government and International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia 2013
• Subjects: S Agriculture (General)
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/11903/1/1.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/11903/; http://www.jgd.uum.edu.my/

This paper employed survey data to identify socio-economic level and the problems faced by paddy farmers in Pendang district under the management of Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA), Kedah, Malaysia.A total of 150 respondents who are paddy cultivatiors in several villages were involved in this interview.The aim was to obtain information about demographics, income levels, problems and form of aid received. The results show that about 54 percent of farmers get net income more than RM1,000 per month.Many paddy farmers work on rented fields or lease from other owners. Approximately 78 percent of paddy farmers plant paddy as the main source of income with 56 percent of them have been in this job for more than 11 years.Slugs and rats are found to be the main types of paddy pests that have affected rice production every season.MADA management has given the help of subsidized fertilizers and pesticides to almost all the farmers under their management although a few farmers who received aid such as machinery, water pumps and financial aid.