Drought threatens West Java rice supply<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu, West Java<\/p>\n
Over 45,000 hectares of rice plants in the Indramayu and Cirebon
\nregencies, known as the rice belt of West Java, have withered
\nfollowing the early arrival of the annual drought, predicted to
\nlast until November.<\/p>\n
A tract of farmland in the region could not be planted and in
\nsome areas, young rice plants could not grow because of the
\ndrastic decrease in the water supply from three dams in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
\"Almost all irrigation channels to farms in a number of
\ndistricts in the regency are drying up because there is no water
\nsupply from the three dams,\" chief of the Indramayu settlement
\nand infrastructures office Rahardjo told The Jakarta Post on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
He said that the water supply of the dams in Salam Darma,
\nSubang regency, in Bendung Rentang, Majalengka regency, and in
\nJatiluhur, Purwakarta regency, had suddenly decreased because it
\nhad not rained over the last few weeks.<\/p>\n
Rahardjo said around 20,000 hectares of rice plants had
\nwithered in the districts of Karangampel, Krangkeng, Juntinyuat,
\nBalongan, Losarang and Kandanghaur, and farmers could do nothing
\nas the dry season began in May, two months earlier than expected.<\/p>\n
Chief of the local agriculture office Muhaimin said he was
\npessimistic that the farmers could plant the target 95,000
\nhectares of rice during the planting season.<\/p>\n
\"So far, only about 52,000 hectares have been planted,\" he
\nsaid, adding that the drought would affect the regency's rice
\nproduction this year.<\/p>\n
Separately, chief of the Cirebon agriculture office Sathori
\nDjuhaeri confirmed that the drought has damaged 25 hectares of
\nrice fields in the regency.<\/p>\n
\"Compared to 2002, the situation is worse this year because
\nthe early drought has damaged tens of thousands of rice paddies
\nin the regency,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Thousands of villagers are also suffering from the drought, as
\ntheir wells have dried up and they are running out of fresh
\nwater.<\/p>\n
He said that the districts worst-hit by the drought were
\nKepetakan, Arjowinangun, North Cirebon, Kaliwedi, Panguragan and
\nGresik.<\/p>\n
Kusnen, a local farmer, said that more than two hectares of
\nrice plants on his farm had \"turned yellow\" because of the water
\ncrisis.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drought-threatens-west-java-rice-supply-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}