11 Thousand Hectares Of Rice Fields In East Aceh Were Submerged By Floods, Losses Reached IDR 88 Billion

Farmers organize piles of rice in rice fields due to flooding in East Aceh Regency, Sunday (7/12/2025). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Floods that hit a number of areas on the island of Sumatra including Aceh in recent days have not only caused infrastructure damage and forced thousands of residents to flee, but also had a major impact on the agricultural sector.

In East Aceh Regency, thousands of hectares of rice fields were reported to have been submerged and most were in the harvest ready phase.

The government of East Aceh Regency through the Department of Food Crops and Horticulture recorded a total of 11,010 hectares of rice fields in 24 sub-districts affected by flooding.

"A total of 11,010 hectares of rice fields were flooded. The majority of the affected rice plants are in the productive phase to be ready for harvest, so the loss of farmers is certain to be quite large," said Head of the East Aceh Food Crops and Horticulture Service, Erwin Atlizar, Sunday.

According to him, the initial estimate shows that agricultural sector losses reached Rp. 88 billion, including potential crop failure, crop damage, and the cessation of all agricultural activities due to flood inundation.

Several sub-districts with the widest impact include:

West Peureulak: 2,600 hectares

Peureulak: 1,405 hectares

Darul Falah: 1,063 hectares

Darul Aman: 850 hectares

Julok: 785 hectares

Other areas such as Idi Tunong, Banda Alam, Pante Bidari, Idi Rayeuk, and Sungai Raya also recorded hundreds of hectares of damaged rice fields. Meanwhile, data from Peunaron and Idi Timur is still in the verification process.

In addition to plants, floods also damaged irrigation networks, rice fields embankments, and agricultural road access commonly used by residents for the distribution of crops.

As a form of countermeasures, the local government prepares assistance in the form of free seeds, fertilizers, and other agricultural production facilities for affected farmers. The district government also plans to apply for additional assistance to the central government to support recovery.

"We are committed to continuing to accelerate recovery in the agricultural sector, considering that the sector is the backbone of the community's economy," said Erwin.

He also appealed to farmers to follow the technical directions of extension workers before the replanting period begins, considering that some areas of land are still covered in mud and are not ready to be reprocessed.