Aceh Accelerates Recovery of 31,464 Hectares of Rice Fields, Budget Realisation Reaches Rp 42.9 Billion

The Aceh provincial government is accelerating efforts to restore the agriculture sector impacted by floods, enabling farmers to resume planting before the peak dry season in August 2026. This acceleration aligns with the outcomes of the National Disaster Risk Management Task Force coordination meeting led by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Tomsi Tohir, on 30 April. The meeting set a national target for land rehabilitation and optimisation of 42,702 hectares across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, with Aceh having the largest recovery target of 31,464 hectares. In the report by Deputy Governor of Aceh Fadhlullah, the total budget allocation for recovery in Aceh reaches Rp 380.03 billion. As of 6 May 2026, budget absorption has been recorded at Rp 42.99 billion, or about 11.3 percent of the total budget. Fadhlullah stated that the land optimisation programme for lightly damaged rice fields covers 27,071 hectares in 16 districts/cities. The Survey Investigation Design (SID) phase, handled by Syiah Kuala University, Malikussaleh University, and Samudra University, has completed 17,694 hectares, or about 65 percent of the planning target. “Land optimisation construction will only be carried out after the SID process is completed,” Fadhlullah wrote in his report. The budget value for land optimisation construction is around Rp 124.52 billion, managed by district/city governments. After the construction phase is completed, the government will proceed with land processing with an allocation of about Rp 24.36 billion. In addition to lightly damaged rice fields, the Aceh provincial government is also addressing the rehabilitation of moderately damaged rice fields covering 4,393 hectares in five districts, namely Pidie Jaya, Bireuen, North Aceh, East Aceh, and Aceh Tamiang. The total rehabilitation budget reaches Rp 65.23 billion, with temporary financial realisation of Rp 27.06 billion. Based on the report, SID for rice field rehabilitation in those five areas has completed 4,031 hectares out of the total target of 4,393 hectares. Construction work by farmer groups and the TNI has progressed on about 3,678 hectares, with 661 hectares among them already completed. Aceh Regional Secretary M. Nasir said the local government is now focusing on accelerating all stages of work so that disaster-affected rice fields can quickly become productive again. “From planning to construction and land processing,” he told reporters on Monday, 4 May. According to Nasir, the recovery acceleration involves various parties, from universities and the TNI to farmer groups. “This collaboration is important so that the recovery process runs on time and farmers can return to the planting season,” he said. For information, the total recovery target of 42,702 hectares in the three provinces consists of 32,709 hectares for the land optimisation programme and 9,993 hectares for the rehabilitation programme, with total budget support of Rp 337.97 billion. In North Sumatra, the recovery target covers 7,336 hectares with a budget of Rp 83.8 billion. Meanwhile, West Sumatra is handling 3,902 hectares with an allocation of Rp 32.61 billion. As of early May 2026, West Sumatra is the region with the fastest planting progress after 2,110 hectares, or about 54 percent of the affected rice fields, have successfully been replanted. Cumulatively in the three provinces, national SID progress has reached 39 percent, while physical construction work has completed 4,098 hectares of land. The Chair of the Disaster Risk Management Task Force, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, has given special attention to rice field recovery. He believes that the functionality of the land can support food stocks and security. Therefore, Tito always directs ministries/institutions in the task force, as well as local governments, to strengthen coordination. “Because it’s also pitiful for the community, besides that, our rice production could decrease,” he said in February.