Government to give free rice to drought-hit farmers<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi and M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The government promised on Tuesday to distribute 20,000 tons of
\nrice worth Rp 60 billion (US$7.5 million) and embark on labor-
\nintensive programs for 250,000 farmers across Java who are unable
\nto work their land because of the current drought.<\/p>\n
\"We are now focusing on addressing problems resulting from the
\ndrought because it has hit Java's rice-producing belt. We will
\nalso help farmers in East Nusa Tenggara province,\" Coordinating
\nMinister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said after a meeting
\nbetween Cabinet ministers and governors from drought-stricken
\nprovinces.<\/p>\n
Minister for Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea,
\nMinister for Settlements and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno,
\nand State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim were
\nscheduled to attend the meeting but canceled at the last minute.<\/p>\n
\"Labor-intensive programs will include the repair of
\nirrigation canals and renovation of school buildings,\" Jusuf
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said the programs would last for two months with farmers
\nreceiving Rp 15,000 per day. The rainy season is expected to
\nstart in early October.<\/p>\n
Jusuf said the labor-intensive programs would start next week
\nand were expected to provide an alternative income for farmers
\nwho had experienced crop failure.<\/p>\n
He also said that the government was considering distributing
\nmore water tank trucks to regions that had no access to clean
\nwater. Last week, eight trucks were handed over to four regencies
\nin West Java -- Karawang, Indramayu, Subang and Cirebon. Each
\ntruck is capable of carrying 4,000 liters of water.<\/p>\n
West Java province is the most badly affected by the drought.<\/p>\n
West Java Governor Danny Setiawan, who was also attending the
\nmeeting, said some 57,000 hectares of rice fields in Indramayu,
\n30,000 in Cirebon, and 28,000 in Ciamis -- all in West Java --
\nhad dried. The cities of Bandung, Sukabumi, Cianjur and Subang
\nare all affected by the drought.<\/p>\n
By mid August, about 450,000 hectares of farmland had dried
\nup, while crop failure affected about 100,000 hectares on Java
\nalone, said Jusuf.<\/p>\n
About 250,000 families in Java are experiencing crop failure
\nand tens of millions of people have no access to clean water.<\/p>\n
Nationwide, about 1.2 million people are affected by the
\ndrought.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi told The Jakarta Post that
\nseveral diseases had become endemic during the drought due to the
\nshortage of clean water.<\/p>\n
\"It is difficult to maintain good sanitation during the
\ndrought because many regions lack clean water,\" he said before
\nthe meeting.<\/p>\n
\"So now the ministry is focusing on purifying the water. We
\nwill distribute aquatab and chlorine to purify river water and
\nmake it suitable for drinking,\" said Sujudi.<\/p>\n
The minister will also distribute face masks in anticipation
\nof forest fires.<\/p>\n
The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) reported that this
\nyear's dry season was relatively normal with no extreme
\nindications.<\/p>\n
Jusuf also said that Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi had
\nrecently had rain. Bogor and Indramayu in West Java were also
\nreported to have had rain last Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said given the fact that the prolonged drought was caused
\nby the deterioration of forests on Java due to rampant illegal
\nlogging, the government would embark on a reforestation program.<\/p>\n
\"We have been given approval by the House of Representatives
\nto start a Rp 1 trillion reforestation program. It was started
\nthis month with the planting of seedlings,\" he said, adding that
\nthe government targeted the regreening of around 300,000 hectares
\nof barren land.<\/p>\n
The minister projected that the reforestation program would
\ncover 500,000 hectares and 1 million hectares in 2004 and 2005
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
The minister hoped that after 10 years, the program would
\nsucceed in restoring the forests around the country, especially
\non Java.<\/p>\n
Apart from the massive reforestation program, the government
\nalso plans to restore water canals for the irrigation of
\nfarmland.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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