Minister of Agriculture asks the government in West Sumatra to be agile in handling land affected by disasters by the end of 2025

JAKARTA - The Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) of the Republic of Indonesia Andi Amran Sulaiman emphasized that the regional government in West Sumatra (Sumbar) must quickly handle agricultural land affected by hydrometeorological disasters, mainly flash floods and landslides at the end of 2025.

"We ask the provinces and regencies to collaborate to complete it in a short time because this assistance money has been in the province since January 2026," said Amran in Padang Pariaman Regency, Tuesday, quoted by Antara.

This was conveyed by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia when he directly reviewed the progress of handling agricultural land affected by disasters in Lubuk Alung District, Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra.

During the visit, Andi Amran emphasized that President Prabowo Subianto had given clear instructions to the Minister, governors and regents as well as mayors to ensure that the handling of land affected by disasters did not drag on. Because, it will have an impact on agriculture and people's livelihoods after the disaster.

He explained that the Ministry of Agriculture Peduli together with its partners had distributed assistance of Rp. 75 billion plus rice assistance of more than Rp. 1 trillion for three disaster-affected provinces.

Especially in the Ranah Minang, the Ministry of Agriculture has disbursed assistance of Rp. 455 billion, plus for the plantation sector worth Rp. 500 billion. Therefore, he urged the provincial government of districts and cities to immediately follow up on the assistance that has been in place since January 2026.

At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture also continues to collaborate with the Ministry of Public Works, especially the River Basin Agency, to help repair the irrigation sector that was damaged by the disaster.

"All the rehabilitation costs that reach 7,000 hectares are the responsibility of the central government," he said.

Meanwhile, West Sumatra Deputy Governor Vasko Ruseimy admitted that there were still many things that must be improved, especially the handling of agricultural land affected by disasters.

One of the reasons for the slow handling was due to bureaucratic obstacles. However, Vasko emphasized that he had spoken to the regent and mayor to follow up on the President's and Minister's instructions.

"The assistance from the President must really reach the community," he said.