1,500 Hectares of Paddy Fields in Pidie Jaya Still Buried Under Mud
Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian personally inspected paddy fields buried under mud from flooding in Meurah Dua sub-district, Pidie Jaya regency, Aceh.
Tito, who also chairs the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in the Sumatra Region, said approximately 1,500 hectares of community-owned paddy fields had sustained severe damage after being covered by thick mud. At several points, the mud reached depths of between 50 centimetres and one metre. In addition, thousands more hectares of farmland suffered light to moderate damage.
Tito noted that Pidie Jaya is one of the region's rice granaries, with a total agricultural area of around 8,800 hectares. The damage therefore has the potential to reduce rice production if not addressed promptly.
"We must feel for these communities, and beyond that, our rice production could also decline," Tito said in an official statement on Saturday, 21 February 2026.
Tito expressed hope that the Agriculture Ministry would give immediate attention to the situation. He stressed that accelerating land rehabilitation was essential so that mud-covered fields could be restored to productive use.
"Hopefully the Agriculture Minister, Mr Amran Sulaiman, will give prompt attention to the condition of this farmland so it can become productive again," he said.
The Agriculture Ministry has allocated a budget of approximately Rp336 billion to accelerate the rehabilitation of flood-affected paddy fields in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
"The budget will be used to restore paddy fields with light to moderate damage so they can resume production quickly and safeguard regional food supplies," said Hermanto, Director-General of Agricultural Land and Irrigation at the Agriculture Ministry, as quoted by Antara on Monday, 16 February 2026.
Hermanto said the programme was a follow-up to the simultaneous launch of rehabilitation efforts that began on 15 January 2026.
Tito, who also chairs the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in the Sumatra Region, said approximately 1,500 hectares of community-owned paddy fields had sustained severe damage after being covered by thick mud. At several points, the mud reached depths of between 50 centimetres and one metre. In addition, thousands more hectares of farmland suffered light to moderate damage.
Tito noted that Pidie Jaya is one of the region's rice granaries, with a total agricultural area of around 8,800 hectares. The damage therefore has the potential to reduce rice production if not addressed promptly.
"We must feel for these communities, and beyond that, our rice production could also decline," Tito said in an official statement on Saturday, 21 February 2026.
Tito expressed hope that the Agriculture Ministry would give immediate attention to the situation. He stressed that accelerating land rehabilitation was essential so that mud-covered fields could be restored to productive use.
"Hopefully the Agriculture Minister, Mr Amran Sulaiman, will give prompt attention to the condition of this farmland so it can become productive again," he said.
The Agriculture Ministry has allocated a budget of approximately Rp336 billion to accelerate the rehabilitation of flood-affected paddy fields in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
"The budget will be used to restore paddy fields with light to moderate damage so they can resume production quickly and safeguard regional food supplies," said Hermanto, Director-General of Agricultural Land and Irrigation at the Agriculture Ministry, as quoted by Antara on Monday, 16 February 2026.
Hermanto said the programme was a follow-up to the simultaneous launch of rehabilitation efforts that began on 15 January 2026.