Although thankful for the various assistance and incentives provided by the government for those affected by the recent floods, they hoped more assistance would be given to allow them to continue farming or to take care of their livestock.
Speaking to Bernama, Gunasegar Rangasamy, 44, who operates a livestock farm in Kampung Sri Tanjung, said he lost 197 chickens in the disaster.
“My 28 cows survived the floods, but they are now weak, having been in the floodwaters for three days.
“They have had no place to sleep and are underfed as the animal feed was washed away by the floods.
“My 40 goats escaped the effects of the floods because they were on higher ground, but are now having ringworms on their bodies,” he said.
Gunasegar, who has been in the industry for 10 years, hoped the authorities could look into their problems and provide the necessary assistance.
“The veterinary services department came and provided animal feed, but there is other assistance that we need, like machines to cut the grass, among others,” he added.
As for Laman Ab Rahman, 60, he was not as lucky as Gunasegar because three of his cows drowned, causing him to lose thousands of ringgit.
“At 4am, the water had risen to neck level. I waded through the floodwaters to save my cows. Otherwise, all of them would have been drowned.
“I lost only three and they were all about three and a half years old. I could have sold them for between RM3,500 and RM4,000 each.
“With the floods over, I now have to deal with the skin disease affecting my cows. I have to bear the cost of the medicines.
“Hopefully, the government will give us assistance, just like it is helping residents,” he said.
Laman said they also needed animal feed and the necessary equipment for their livestock as it was difficult to find dry grass after the floods to feed his cattle.
Another farmer, Anuar Abu Bakar, 65, said the authorities should give attention to helping smallholders and livestock farmers to recover as starting all over again would be an uphill task as they have lost almost everything.
His 0.81-hectare farm in Kampung Semarang here, which he had planted with 4,800 banana plants, was destroyed in the floods.
“With the banana plants destroyed, I have also lost my source of income,” he added.
Chilli grower Ahmad Irham Mohd Noor, 40, who lost about 5,000 plants, said he needed cash assistance to grow new crops.
“All my farming equipment and chili seedlings were destroyed. My chilli plants were almost ready for harvesting, and now all are gone. I had expected to harvest 4,000kg of chilli from this crop,” said the former photographer.