DIY People Get Ready To Anticipate Failed Harvesting In The Dry Season

Illustration of a farmer passing through his rice fields experiencing drought in Persawahan Samata, Gowa, South Sulawesi, Saturday (19/10). (ANTARA)

YOGYAKARTA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta appealed to local farmers to pay attention to the types of plants to be planted to prevent potential crop failure during the dry season.

"Based on the information we have obtained from the BMKG, this year's dry season is drier than in the past few years, so farmers are requested to pay attention to the types of plants to be planted," said BPBD DIY Operations Control Center Manager (Pusdalops) Lilik Andi Aryanto as quoted by ANTARA, Monday 12 June.

In addition to paying attention to plant types or varieties, Lilik asked farmers to always be guided by the weather conditions released by BMKG to determine the right planting period.

"BMKG always provides the latest data related to weather conditions so that we can guide together in determining the time to grow crops," he said.

According to him, field extension officers will also provide assistance to farmers so that the directions from these officers need to be followed together.

According to Lilik, a number of areas in DIY each year have the potential for drought during the dry season, including Rongkop and Tepus sub-districts, Gunung Kidul Regency; Dlingo, Bantul Regency; Climbing, Kulon Progo Regency; and Prambanan District, Sleman Regency.

Based on a coordination meeting to deal with dryness, according to Lilik, the DIY Department of Public Works, Housing and Energy Mineral Resources (PUP-ESDM) has made drilling well facilities in a number of areas with the potential for drought.

Based on PUP-ESDM DIY data, currently there are 900 reservoirs spread across the DIY area that are prioritized for agricultural irrigation.

In 2021-2022 PUP-ESDM DIY has built 30 bore wells and 2023 will build 50 bore wells in the DIY area.

"Hopefully the drill well will reduce the number of areas asking for water dropping, besides that it will also maintain the reservoirs," he said.

On June 10, 2023, BMKG reported that nine areas in the Special Region of Yogyakarta were alert to meteorological drought with the potential for low rainfall.

The nine areas are Prambanan District, Sleman Regency, Sentolo District (Kulon Progo), Sedayu District, Pandak, Imogiri ( Bantul), Patuk District, Playen, Wonosari, Nglipar (Gunungkidul).

To maintain food security entering the dry season, the DIY Agriculture and Food Security Service (DPKP) has distributed two-wheeled tractor assistance to farmer groups in Gunungkidul Regency and Kulon Progo Regency.

Head of the Food Crops Division of the DIY Agriculture and Food Security Service Andi Nawa Candra asked for the assistance of this tractor to be used not only by the head of the farmer group, but also by all members of the farmer group.

He hopes that tractor assistance can contribute to increasing farmer production and productivity.

"We ask farmer groups to take care of the assistance of the two-wheeled tractor given," he said.