Garut Regency Government Mitigates Drought in the Plant Sector During the Dry Season

GARUT - The Garut Regency Government, West Java, has deployed all its ranks to carry out drought disaster mitigation in the food crop sector during the dry season by taking quick and appropriate steps so that plants can be saved and not cause greater losses.

"This is what is being addressed regarding drought mitigation in the land sector, I ask the sub-district heads, there were several reports, keep checking (the area)," said Garut Regent Abdusy Syakur Amin after a coordination meeting on drought mitigation in the agricultural sector in Garut, Monday.

He said that the results of the coordination meeting received reports from drought-prone areas, and some of them asked for help in installing water pumps to irrigate agricultural land that was threatened by drought.

The coordination meeting which was attended by the head of the sub-district and the ranks of the Garut Agriculture Service, he said, to facilitate quick and proper handling if in an area there are those affected by drought.

"Gather the head of the district and the Agriculture Service to be addressed immediately, so that if there is a drought, it will be followed up immediately," he said.

He said that efforts to overcome drought should be from the beginning, not in a condition where the land is already dry, then the plants are also dry.

This condition, he said, will certainly be difficult to save the plants, so farmers and government officials in the field must check in the field and then report and follow up so that the plants can be quickly saved.

"I think this is, if you die, you will not live again, don't be late, this is while you are still alive, hurry up and water," he said.

The Head of the Garut Regency Agriculture Service, Ardhy Firdian, added that his staff had conducted data collection in the field, which is currently the condition of agricultural land, especially rice, is threatened by drought due to drought.

"The condition is threatened, there is no puso, but we have made anticipations, one of which is pumping or utilizing existing water sources," he said as quoted by Antara.

Based on data from the Garut Regency Government, the total area of rice fields in Garut Regency reaches around 42,663 hectares. This area consists of irrigated rice fields with an area of 33,024 hectares and rain-fed rice fields with an area of 9,570 hectares.

Based on the temporary data collection, the affected land area reached around 90 hectares in 11 sub-districts. This number is still relatively small when compared to the total area of rice cultivation in Garut Regency.