Facing El Nino, the Government Distributed 100 Thousand Pumps and Grappled 800 Thousand Hectare of Swamp

JAKARTA - The government relies on 100 thousand pumps, irrigation improvements, and swamp land optimization to withstand the impact of El Nino on food production. This step has been carried out since the beginning of President Prabowo Subianto's administration.

Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said pumps had been distributed to various regions to maintain water supply in agricultural land.

"We are doing pumpanization. There are 100 thousand pumps spread throughout Indonesia," said Amran at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Tuesday, July 28.

Apart from pumping, the government is improving the irrigation network on land of around 900 thousand hectares. The government has also prepared drought-resistant seeds, ponds, shallow wells, and deep wells.

Amran said that the optimization of swamp land has reached around 800 thousand hectares. The area is considered to remain productive during the dry season because the water surface recedes.

The government has also printed more than 200 thousand hectares of new rice fields.

According to Amran, the anticipation step is carried out by learning from El Nino in 2023 and 2024. In these two years, Indonesia imports up to 7 million tons of rice.

He said that heavy rains that are still occurring in a number of provinces can help farmers. However, weather conditions must still be anticipated because drought has the potential to affect production in a number of areas.