71.48 Hectares of Rice Fields in Brebes and Rembang Suffer Crop Failure Due to Drought

The Head of the Central Java Provincial Department of Agriculture and Livestock (Distanak), Defrancisco Dasilva Tavares, has revealed that reports of rice crop failures have been received from the Brebes and Rembang regions due to drought. The total area of land experiencing crop failure has reached 71.48 hectares.

Frans explained that rice crop failures in the Rembang area were reported across eight locations, while in Brebes, they are spread across five locations, totalling 13 sites. “The area is estimated to be around 71.48 hectares,” he stated during an interview on Friday (2/10/2026).

He added that Distanak Central Java will dispatch a team to investigate the reports of rice crop failures in Brebes and Rembang. “We are sending officers to check whether the crops have failed or can still be saved. If the assessment shows that more than 75 per cent cannot be harvested, we will consider it a crop failure,” he said.

Frans explained that the reports of crop failure in Brebes and Rembang were caused by drought issues. “All 13 reported locations cited drought as the cause,” he noted.

He acknowledged that most areas in Central Java are still facing the dry season, whereas some regions in Jakarta and West Java, for instance, have already begun to receive rainfall. According to Frans, the drought has ultimately caused irrigation water sources to shrink drastically.

“The availability of water has indeed decreased drastically. We rely on sources from reservoirs and the five River Basin Organisations (BBWS) that supply irrigation for crops in Central Java,” Frans said.