INFO TEMPO \u2013 The Bireuen Regency Government targets the\nrehabilitation of flood-damaged rice fields classified as moderately\ndamaged to be completed by early June 2026. As of 17 May 2026, the\nrecovery process has reached 85 percent, or around 677 hectares of the\ntotal area being worked on.<\/p>\n
Head of the Bireuen Agriculture and Plantations Service, Mulyadi,\nsaid the rehabilitation targets farmland belonging to about 1,470\nfamilies affected by the flood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are targeting the rehabilitation of disaster-affected rice fields\nclassified as moderately damaged in Bireuen to be completed by early\nJune 2026,\u201d Mulyadi told Tempo on Monday, 18 May 2026.<\/p>\n
He said the total budget for rehabilitating moderately damaged rice\nfields amounts to Rp13 million per hectare. The disbursement that has\nbeen made so far stands at Rp6.3 billion. \u201cThe mechanism is like that \u2013\nthe budget is disbursed 70 percent first. After progress reaches a\ncertain threshold, the next tranche is released,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Bireuen Regency government previously proposed rehabilitating\nflood-affected rice land since February 2026. The total area of paddy\nfields proposed totals 4,764.94 hectares, comprising 2,756.60 hectares\nlightly damaged, 685.27 hectares moderately damaged, and 1,323.07\nhectares heavily damaged.<\/p>\n
For lightly damaged fields, the Survey, Investigation, and Design\n(SID) and the Preparation of Technical Design Details (DRT) prepared by\nMalikussaleh University, Lhokseumawe, have been completed.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, rehabilitation for heavily damaged paddy fields has not\nyet begun. The Agriculture and Plantations Service of Bireuen is still\ncoordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture to speed up handling.<\/p>\n
Mulyadi said the local government also proposed reallocating some\nfields previously classified as heavily damaged to moderate damage. He\nsaid the condition of the land has changed since the post-disaster\nsurvey conducted in November 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time of the initial survey, the indicator classified it as\nheavily damaged. Now that the water has receded and the land has dried,\nsome fields have moved into the moderately or even lightly damaged\ncategory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
One indicator for heavy damage, Mulyadi continued, was that the field\nbunds were not visible due to flooding. But after the inundation\nreceded, the bunds reappeared, so the condition of the land is\nconsidered improved.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, until now the Bireuen Regency government has not\nreceived a response from the central government regarding the proposal\nto reclassify the damage category.<\/p>\n
In addition to land rehabilitation, Mulyadi emphasised the importance\nof repairing irrigation networks so that the reclaimed fields can be\nproductive again. \u201cFields cannot be used if the irrigation system is\nstill damaged,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As a temporary measure, the government has prepared dry-season rice\nfor affected farmers. This type of rice is cultivated on dry land or\nfields that do not require flooding as in conventional paddy fields.<\/p>\n
The first planting of dry-season rice took place in Pulo Siron\nVillage, Kutablang District, on Saturday 25 April. The event was\nattended by the Director of Protection and Optimisation of Land at the\nMinistry of Agriculture, Dede Sulaeman, and the Deputy Regent of\nBireuen, Ir. Razuardi.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat planting marks the reactivation of 85 hectares of farmland that\nhad previously been unusable,\u201d Mulyadi noted.<\/p>\n
This acceleration step in Bireuen aligns with the central PRR\n(Disaster Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction) mandate. Based on\na coordination meeting with the Secretary-General of the Ministry of\nHome Affairs, Tomsi Tohir, on 30 April, the central government aims to\nrestore 42,702 hectares of flood-damaged rice fields across Sumatra by\nAugust so that farmers do not lose the planting momentum due to seasonal\nand climatic changes.<\/p>\n
Chair Tito Karnavian of the PRR Task Force previously stressed that\naccelerating rice field rehabilitation is essential for national food\nsecurity as well as restoring livelihoods for affected communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is urgent, so there is funding from ministries and agencies.\nFor example, the Minister of Agriculture is allocating almost Rp900\nbillion for agricultural irrigation, seeds, and others,\u201d he was quoted\nas saying by Babel Insight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese lands must be made productive again so that the community can\nresume farming and the regional economy can move,\u201d Tito emphasised.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rehabilitation-of-moderately-damaged-paddy-fields-in-bireuen-85-complete-target-june-completion-1779546073", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }