Aceh farmers ready to sow seeds again

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Aceh Jaya

Only wild grasses and several mounds of debris can be seen. Gone are the signs indicating that this vast area was once rice fields. Such scenes are commonplace in Krueng Sabe district, which was famous for its abundant rice harvests before the tsunami disaster last year.

Only four of the 11 villages were spared by the earthquake and tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004.

Some 742 hectares of paddy in six villages are severely damaged now. They are situated in Keude Krueng Sabe, Kabung, Datar Luas, Paya Seumantok, Padang Datar and Monmata villages.

Not only were residents in Krueng Sabe district in Aceh Jaya affected by the problem but also those in Lhok Nga district in Aceh Besar regency.

Residents of Krueng Sabe very much depend on rice as their sole means of livelihood, so in the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase now being implemented in Aceh, restoring their rice fields so they can start producing again will be a top priority. Residents have already started cleaning up their fields.

"We will probably start planting rice next month," an official from the French organization Action Against Famine (Action Contre La Faim) that is assisting in the rice field restoration program explained to The Jakarta Post.

However, restoration work is no easy task. Residents must firstly clean out all the irrigation channels that are clogged with mud and debris from the tsunami.

"If the dam has already been cleaned, rain water carrying wastes from the rice fields will flow to the dam and thus reduce the level of salinity in the fields," said Rahmad.

Some 700 residents of Krueng Sabe are working together to clean up the dam. They are being paid Rp 35,000 (US$3.60) each daily by the NGO.

The NGO will also provide farming tools and rice seedlings to the farmers.

"We will grow a hybrid type of rice," a resident of Datar Luas, Adian, 64, told the Post.

Hybrid rice is suitable for cultivation in rice fields that have been affected by the tsunami because they are more fertile due to sedimentation.

Adian owns a one-hectare field in an area hit by the tsunami. He acknowledged that he felt frustrated the moment he first realized the condition of his rice field after the tsunami.

"Our lives depend on this rice field. But what could we do? Our rice field and house were destroyed," he said.

No wonder residents gladly welcomed the idea of cleaning up their rice fields.

"I'm looking forward to planting rice again," said Adian.

In the first stage, around 500 hectares of rice fields affected by the tsunami will be cultivated. The rest will follow suit after they have been cleaned up.

"We are very pleased with such assistance because it will be of much assistance in the long run. We cannot depend on food aid forever," said a Datar Luas villager, Yusuf, 43.