Minister Of Agriculture Syahrul Limpo Says No Rice Fields Have A High Chance To Experience Drought

Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday (2/8/2023). ANTARA/Mentari Dwi Gayati

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Syahrul Yasin Limpo said, there was no rice field in the period July to September 2023 which was predicted to have a high and very high chance of experiencing drought. "For the July-September 2023 period, predictions beyond the risk of drought for commodities in fields in Indonesia are in the range between low and moderate," said Syahrul Limpo during a Working Meeting with Commission IV of the DPR in Jakarta, Antara, Wednesday, August 30. The Ministry of Agriculture through the Center for Testing of Agricultural Resources Instruments (BBPSI SDLP) predicts the risk of moderate drought in the national category in July reached 235,559 ha or 3.35 percent of the total drought risk. In August there were predictions of drought with a total land of 3.41 percent or 258,123 ha. Meanwhile, in September it decreased to 96,128 ha or 1.27 percent against the total risk of drought. Syahrul said that rice production in Semester 2 was indeed less than the main harvest season which took place from March to May. The potential deficit between production and consumption from July to September is also predicted to range from 0.10-01.7 million tons of rice. However, the lack of rice production in Semester can be covered with rice harvest which is recorded as a surplus from February to June. " “January until December there was a sorted area indeed in October December, but covered with a carry over 4 million tons during May-July," he said. Although rice production is predicted to be able to meet the consumption needs of the community throughout the year, the Minister of Agriculture said that his party remains cautious about the impact of El Nino which will further suppress farmers' production. Based on the Ministry of Agriculture's analysis, El Nino with a moderate impact will reduce rice production by up to 380 thousand tons. Meanwhile, El Nino, which is very strong, will reduce production by 1.2 million tons. “ that's what makes us have to make 500 thousand ha (land) new planting, not new land. It must be done from productive areas and a good contribution, "” he said. The Ministry of Agriculture through the El Nino National Movement (Gernas) is increasing its cultivation by 500 thousand ha in 10 provinces and 100 districts.

A total of six provinces, namely North Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java, East Java, Central Java and South Sulawesi, will become the main provinces for planting because they are green areas that have sufficient water availability in the dry season. Meanwhile, four supporting provinces are Lampung, Banten, South Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara.