559.5 Ha Agricultural Land In Tanjabtim Jambi Failed To Harvest Due To Batanghari River Overflowing Floods

Farming land in the form of rice plants in East Tanjungjabung Regency, Jambi. (ANTARA/Ho/August)

A total of 559.5 hectares of agricultural land in Tanjungjabung Timur (Tanjabtim) Regency, Jambi, failed to harvest. The overflowing flood of the Batanghari River was the cause of the disaster experienced by the farmers.

Head of the Food Crops and Horticulture Office (Kadis) of East Tanjungjabung Regency, Sunarno, said that his party ensured that rice production in the planting season from October 2023 to March 2024 decreased.

"We have recorded that in the planting season from October 2023 to March 2024, there are already around 4,700 hectares of land affected by flooding and land experiencing crop failure or puso reaching 559.5 hectares," he said in Jambi, Wednesday, February 28, which was confiscated by Antara.

He added that agricultural land affected by the flood spread over four sub-districts covering the Districts of Berbak, Rantau Rasau, Nipah Panjang, and East Sabak, with the largest crop failure land in Berbak District reaching 431 hectares.

Data noted that agricultural land that was flooded covered in Berbak District covering an area of 1,265 hectares, Rantau Rasau 1,042 hectares, Nipah Panjang 999 hectares, and East Sabak 35 hectares.

In addition to rice, three hectares of corn plants and one hectare of soybean crops died due to flooding due to the overflow of the Batanghari River.

Mugianto, one of the farmers in Bandar Jaya Village, Rantau Rasau District, chose to harvest early considering that the water discharge did not recede or fall, causing some of the rice to die, so that only some could be harvested.

"We chose to harvest earlier because we were afraid that the Batranghari River would be higher and only a small part could be harvested, where the results were only sufficient to meet household needs," said Mugianto.

Tanjungjabung Timur Regency is one of the districts that produces rice in Jambi Province.