PKB asks the government to solve the flood to save the National Food Barn

Floods submerged residential areas in the Jalan Pulo Indah Raya area, RT 10 RW 08, Duri Kosambi, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, Friday (23/1/2026). ANTARA/Risky Syukur

JAKARTA - The Central Board of Trustees of the National Awakening Party (PKB) encourages the government to immediately take extraordinary steps in dealing with the impact of widespread flooding in a number of national food warehouses.

The flood that submerged thousands of hectares of rice fields was considered no longer to be treated as a routine disaster, but rather a serious threat to national food sovereignty and the survival of farmers.

"Farmers are our food heroes. When they lose their fields, capital, and hope, the state should not be present half-heartedly. This is not just about floods, but about the future of food and the welfare of small people," said Deputy Chairman of the PKB DPP Harian, Najmi Mumtaza Rabbany, as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, January 24.

Gus Najmi, his nickname, expressed deep concern about the condition of farmers whose fields were flooded, especially in the Pantura Java area such as Demak, Kudus, and Pati, as well as a number of areas in Sumatra and Sulawesi.

PKB assessed that the first step that must be taken immediately is accurate, transparent, and comprehensive data collection on all affected farmers. The central and regional governments are asked to go directly to the field so that no farmers are missed from the assistance scheme just because of administrative problems.

The threat of crop failure is also considered increasingly real. With the average planting cost reaching Rp. 10-12 million per hectare, the total losses of farmers in various affected areas are estimated to reach trillions of rupiah. Therefore, PKB encourages the government to prepare compensation or subsidies for the replacement of planting capital directly.

"We cannot just rely on agricultural insurance schemes that have limited coverage. The state must be present through the allocation of emergency budgets so that farmers can immediately replant after the water recedes," he said.

KB reminded that the decline in rice production due to flooding has the potential to trigger a rise in rice prices nationwide.

The government is asked to immediately mitigate food stocks and not make this condition an excuse to open the tap of rice imports which have the potential to suppress the price of farmers' grains later.

In addition to short-term handling, PKB also asked for a thorough evaluation of agricultural infrastructure and spatial planning in the food storage area.

National development is considered to be more in favor of the basic needs of farmers, such as river normalization, irrigation network improvement, embankment strengthening, and reservoir construction whose benefits are directly felt at the rice field level.

"Annual flooding should not continue to be a ritual that haunts our farmers. This is a loud alarm that agricultural infrastructure must be a priority," said Gus Najmi.

PKB also instructed all its cadres and legislators, both at the central and regional levels, to actively monitor the distribution of assistance so that it runs quickly and does not get bogged down.

"Farmers need solutions today, not procedural promises," he said.

PKB emphasized that it would continue to be at the forefront in fighting for farmers' rights. Food sovereignty can only be realized if farmers are protected and prospered through fair and biased policies.