The impact of the dry season has begun to strike the agricultural\nsector in Subang Regency, West Java. In Ciistal Hamlet, Cimayasari\nVillage, Cipeundeuy District, a number of farmers have been forced to\ncarry out early harvesting of their rice crops to avoid total losses\ncaused by the increasingly severe water crisis.<\/p>\n
The situation has been triggered by the status of farmland in the\narea, which consists of rain-fed paddies. Without a permanent irrigation\nsystem, the farmers depend entirely on rainfall, which has yet to arrive\nduring the dry season.<\/p>\n
Suhada, a local farmer, said the decision to harvest early was taken\nbecause the rice plants had begun to wither and were at risk of dying.\n\u201cRice that has dried out and is threatened with dying because there is\nno water supply has to be harvested to reduce the amount of losses,\u201d he\nsaid on Tuesday (28\/7).<\/p>\n
According to Suhada, the absence of supporting irrigation access is a\nlongstanding problem in his area. Although the farmers have repeatedly\nproposed the construction of water channels to the Subang Regency\nGovernment, there has been no realisation or serious response from the\nrelevant parties to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are rain-fed paddies, there is no water channel. So we only\nrely on rainwater. We have already asked for an irrigation channel to be\nbuilt, but there has been no response,\u201d Suhada complained.<\/p>\n
The decision to harvest early has had a direct impact on a drastic\ndecline in production output and farmers\u2019 income. Under normal weather\nconditions with sufficient water supply, Suhada\u2019s land is capable of\nproducing 2 to 3 tonnes of rice. However, as a result of the drought,\nthis harvest has plummeted sharply, causing financial losses.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Subang Regency Government, the impact of\nthe drought has spread to at least 45 villages across 15 districts. The\ntotal area of paddy fields experiencing drought across the whole of\nSubang has now reached 1,348 hectares.<\/p>\n
This situation is a heavy blow to farmers in Cipeundeuy. They\nstrongly hope the government will soon provide a long-term solution,\nparticularly the construction of irrigation infrastructure, so that\ntheir land no longer depends on unpredictable weather conditions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drought-forces-farmers-in-subang-to-harvest-rice-early-1785235859", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }