Kemarau Panjang Makes Panen Failure, DPR Encourages Incentives For Farmers

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JAKARTA - Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives encourages the Government to provide special incentives for farmers who experience crop failure due to prolonged drought in a number of regions in Indonesia. Because crop failure also has a broad impact on the country's economy, especially now that rice prices are increasing in many regions.

"The loss caused by crop failure is quite large, so farmers have difficulty replanting their agricultural land because there is no capital," said Member of Commission IV DPR RI, Daniel Johan, Wednesday, September 6.

Drought disasters due to the dry season began to have an impact on agricultural land in a number of areas, one of which was in Sukabumi Regency. Dozens of hectares of agricultural land in Sukabumi are reportedly threatened with crop failure due to drought, especially those in Jampangtengah District.

In addition, drought also occurred in agricultural land in Bekasi Regency, where 16,353 hectares of land were affected and 3,618.5 hectares of threatened land. Meanwhile, based on BPBD Bekasi Regency data, drought hit 10 sub-districts and 32 villages.

All farmers in West Kalimantan are also worried about crop failure because the dry conditions this time are quite severe. So it is necessary to be affirmative from the Government," said Daniel.

Daniel reminded that food security in the regions needs to be maintained, including by maintaining agricultural land so that farmers continue to plant it. That way agricultural land continues to produce and have a good impact on the community.

"To anticipate, the Government must prepare an incentive program for farmers. Because crop failure in a number of regions in Indonesia will have an impact on people's food security," he said.

Not only providing incentives for farmers, the Government is also encouraged to increase irrigation infrastructure. That way, agricultural production remains strong despite experiencing a long dry season.

"Investments in better irrigation infrastructure have helped farmers in the face of a longer and more severe dry season. This is a proactive step that is needed to maintain food security in this region," Daniel explained.

Furthermore, the legislator from the West Kalimantan I electoral district reminded the Government to ensure the availability of rice reserves in the regions following the threat of drought in rice production centers due to the El Nino phenomenon. Daniel asked the Government to ensure that rice reserves were safe.

"Especially in areas affected by El Nino. Make sure the stock of rice reserves in drought areas remains safe. You can carry out market operations, increase supervision and coordination," he said.

Daniel also encouraged the Government to promote more sustainable and climate change agricultural practices. There are several ways that can be applied.

"Like with plant diversification, better use of agricultural technology, and wise land use planning so that it can help reduce vulnerability to the impact of drought," explained Daniel.

The availability of important rice reserves follows a report by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) which states that the El Nino phenomenon will create some areas of great drought. The areas in question are rice production centers.

Daniel assessed that preventive and sustainable steps must be taken to ensure the availability of rice reserves.

"Because climate phenomena occur periodically, and have a serious impact on food production and rice supplies in Indonesia. Keep in mind, ensuring the availability of rice reserves is a key element in maintaining national food security," he explained.

"So the government through various relevant agencies has the responsibility to ensure that rice reserves are sufficient and can be accessed by people in need," continued Daniel.

The Commission in the House of Representatives in charge of food and agricultural affairs also highlighted the recent trend of rising rice prices. The impact of El Nino and the ban on rice exports from India has led to an increase in rice prices, at least in 86 cities.

Daniel also urged the Government to review the effectiveness of the programs that have been implemented in an effort to control rice prices.

"The increase in rice prices is one of the economic issues that greatly affects the welfare of the people. The certainty of prices and the availability of rice are the rights of the people to be protected," he said.

Daniel also encouraged the Government to prioritize domestic production, so that Indonesia does not depend on rice imports from other countries.

"So I always say incentives and assistance programs for farmers to support the progress of our agricultural production must be a priority. We must be able to realize our independence in terms of food security," he said.

On the other hand, Daniel also asked the Government to anticipate the impact of drought which is currently hitting a number of areas and making it difficult for the community. One of them is by making drills and providing pump assistance, because drought not only threatens food security but also disrupts the availability of clean water.

"This crisis is a warning that drought is a real threat that must be faced by many regions in Indonesia. The government is required to prepare an anticipatory strategy and solution, especially for farmers," said Daniel.