Ministry of Agriculture Prepares Water Resources Security to Anticipate the Threat of El Nino

Illustration - Irrigation in Central Lampung Regency. (ANTARA/Ruth Intan Sozometa Kanafi)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Agriculture is preparing a strategy to secure water sources and strengthen irrigation infrastructure to ensure rice production is maintained, while achieving the target of increasing production by 1 million tons by 2026.

The Secretary of the Directorate General of Land and Irrigation of Agriculture (LIP), Ministry of Agriculture Dhani Gartina said, the government is trying to maintain the increase in production that has been achieved in 2025 through various strategies, ranging from intensification of existing agricultural land to expanding planting areas through extension programs.

During the webinar entitled "Maintaining Food Production When El Nino Comes", he mentioned that the threat of the El Nino phenomenon and drought was predicted to hit a number of agricultural areas in the country, therefore one of the main focuses of the Ministry of Agriculture was to ensure the availability of water for agricultural land.

"Through the Directorate General of Land and Irrigation for Agriculture (LIP), various water resources development programs continue to be strengthened, including through collaboration with the Directorate General of Water Resources of the Ministry of Public Works," he said in Jakarta, Antara, Thursday, June 18.

Various programs have been prepared to support water availability, including the rehabilitation of tertiary irrigation networks, the construction of pumping irrigation, piped irrigation, ponds, dams and ditches, as well as the development of alternative water sources.

The program is also aimed at increasing the crop index, especially in rain-fed rice fields which have only been planted once a year.

Through the development of a better irrigation system, rain-fed land is expected to be able to obtain a sustainable water supply, so that the frequency of planting increases and the productivity of farmers increases.

"We hope that with this activity, the land that was previously only one crop will increase to two crops, then the two crops can be three crops. So there is an increase in the crop index," he said.

For 2026, the government is preparing the distribution of large-scale water infrastructure, including the construction of around 15,000 irrigation per pumping units, 3,000 irrigation per piping units, and 3,000 water conservation building units which will be focused on rice production centers and drought-prone areas.

In addition to infrastructure development, the Directorate General of LIP has also mapped the potential of groundwater basins, surface water sources, irrigated rice fields, to drought-prone land to ensure that interventions are targeted.

"The strategy to deal with drought is not only carried out through physical development, but also through an approach of anticipation, adaptation, and mitigation," said Dhani. .

In terms of anticipation, the government strengthens the planning of the planting season, the provision of production facilities, and the development of water infrastructure.

Adaptation strategies are carried out through the implementation of water-saving planting patterns, the use of drought-resistant rice varieties, and more efficient land management.

"The mitigation steps are carried out through agricultural insurance programs, production risk management, and government assistance in the form of water pumps, per-pump irrigation, and piped irrigation," he said.

Meanwhile, to strengthen preparedness for the dry season, the Ministry of Agriculture has also mapped drought-prone areas, inventoried rehabilitation needs and improved irrigation networks.

In addition, the identification of potential water sources for the development of alternative irrigation that can be utilized during the dry season (dams/irrigation, rivers, springs, ground water).

Meanwhile, PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) reiterated its commitment to supporting the national food self-sufficiency program through ensuring the availability of subsidized fertilizers and increasing agricultural productivity.

Vice President of Stakeholder Management of PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), Susatyo Jati said, his party ensured the readiness of subsidized fertilizer supplies according to the allocation that had been set by the government.

In 2026, the allocation of subsidized fertilizer for the agricultural sector reached 9.5 million tons, consisting of 4.45 million tons of urea fertilizer, 4.5 million tons of NPK fertilizer, 500 thousand tons of ZA fertilizer, and organic fertilizer. "We continue to maintain the capacity and health of the factory so that it can meet the allocation that has been set by the government," said Susatyo.

Currently, Pupuk Indonesia's production capacity reaches 8.8 million tons for urea fertilizer, 4.6 million tons of NPK fertilizer, and about 1.5 million tons for other fertilizer products. This capacity is expected to be able to ensure the availability of fertilizer in the right amount and at the right time for farmers throughout Indonesia.

As of May 31, 2026, the distribution of subsidized fertilizer has reached around 4 million tons or equivalent to 45.17 percent of the contract promised or around 41 percent of the total allocation set by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture.

"With this achievement, the realization of distribution in 2026 has the potential to exceed the achievement of the previous year," said Susatyo in a ceremony held by Tabloid Sinar Tani in collaboration with PT Pupuk Indonesia.

In the face of the potential El Nino, Pupuk Indonesia has also prepared fertilizer stocks in various regions. As of June 8, 2026, the total stock of fertilizer available throughout Indonesia reached 1.17 million tons, consisting of 836 thousand tons of subsidized fertilizer and 338 thousand tons of non-subsidized fertilizer.

"This amount is estimated to be sufficient to meet the needs for the next 23 days with an average daily redemption of around 37 thousand tons," he added, at the same time, production activities continue so that fertilizer supplies remain maintained.

"We have prepared fertilizer in the field to help farmers in facing the El Nino climate," he said.