Entering Kemarau, 500 Thousand Water Pumps Are Provided By Local Governments To Help Farmers In Bantul

Farming land is ready to be planted in the Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region (ANTARA)

BANTUL - The Department of Food Security and Agriculture (DKPP) of Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region, has prepared thousands of water pumps for farmer groups in anticipation of irrigation difficulties on agricultural land or rice fields facing the dry season today.

"We see that the current weather climate for rain is almost gone, and it is facing the dry season, to anticipate this season we are preparing water pumps," said Head of DKPP Bantul Joko Waluyo as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, May 30.

He said, especially now in the Bantul Regency area, there are still agricultural land or rice fields that have just been planted, because in Bantul Regency every month there is a fire, there are also rice plants every month.

According to him, there is at least 5,000 to 6,000 hectares of agricultural land throughout the Bantul area which is planted with rice and is currently growing during the second planting season in 2024.

"And we have 5,190 units of water pumps, because there is continued assistance from the government, we hope that in agricultural land areas if the long dry season can increase the existing water sources with the pump," he said.

In addition to water pumps, he said, other anticipation is that farmers grow rice with a short life compared to usual life, so that irrigation water needs can be adjusted to existing water sources during the dry season.

"Then we also advise farmers, if the area is really difficult to irrigation, we suggest planting crops, but still now the main thing is food crops, especially rice," he said.

He also said that the total area of raw agricultural land in all 17 sub-districts throughout Bantul is 14 thousand hectares, but in a year in the same area, the same land can be planted more than once with rice, as well as crops.