Bad News, 2,773 Hectares Of Rice Fields In OKI Regency, South Sumatra Are Threatened With Harvest Failure

Archives - A flooded rice field area in Pegayut Village, Pemulutan, Ogan Ilir (OI), South Sumatra, Wednesday (3/1/17). (ANTARA PHOTO/Nova Wahyudi/nz/17)

PALEMBANG - Rice fields covering an area of 2,773 hectares in Ogan Komering Regency, South Sumatra, are threatened with crop failure because they are submerged in water due to high rainfall since the last few weeks.

Secretary of the Department of Food Security and Horticultural Crops (DKPTH) of Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency Indesi Karyanto said the high rainfall was influenced by the La Nina phenomenon that had occurred since last year.

"Because it is estimated that the harvest will fail, we are trying to provide seed assistance to farmers," said Indesi in Palembang, as reported by Antara, Friday, January 21.

The district government will apply for seed assistance from the National Seed Reserve (CBN) to help farmers whose land is affected. CBN is food plant seeds that are intended for urgent needs such as natural disasters that cause agriculture to experience crop failure or puso.

According to Indesi, the procedure for obtaining seeds from CBN is relatively easy, namely through confirmation from field officers that the land experienced a disaster that resulted in crop failure.

Although some rice fields in OKI are threatened with extinction, Indesi ensures that rice reserves in OKI Regency remain safe.

Based on the latest data, the OKI Regency Government will produce 485,824 tons of milled dry rice (GKG) in 2021 or the equivalent of 200,000 tons of rice.

Regarding the weather that tends to be extreme, the district government asks affected farmers not to rush to plant, because the BMKG predicts that rainfall will still be high during February-March 2022.

"It's better to be patient for a while, delay planting, than to plant it later it will be submerged again," he said. Previously, the flood submerged 8 sub-districts in OKI Regency, including housing areas and rice fields.

The head of the OKI Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency, Listiadi Martin, said the OKI area was vulnerable to flooding because it was located in a lowland.

"Actually, people are used to dealing with overflowing river water, but the BPBD must be present to ensure that this disaster does not result in economic losses or even lives," he said.

Listiadi explained that the floods in OKI earlier this year had an impact on 237 families, 990 people, 229 houses, 2 school units, and 2,773 hectares of rice fields.