Agriculture Minister Praises Central Java Governor, Promises 7,000 Water Pumps for Farmers
Ahmad Luthfi has also been regarded as consistently fighting for farmers’ interests amid the threat of a prolonged drought. Unsurprisingly, agricultural productivity in the province has remained steady.
“Governor Ahmad Luthfi is remarkable, a pillar of Indonesia’s food supply. He is extremely diligent. From what I have seen of his work, Central Java is now the number two rice producer,” Amran said in a statement on Monday (20/7/2026).
He made the remarks while attending the groundbreaking ceremony of PT Global Dairi Bersama’s Integrated Dairy Cattle Farm in Karangbale Village, Larangan Sub-district, Brebes Regency, on Monday (20/7).
Not merely offering praise, Amran also agreed to Ahmad Luthfi’s request for farmers in Central Java to once again receive water pump assistance to maintain rice productivity during the long dry season.
Beyond water pumps, the Ministry of Agriculture will also disburse assistance in the form of maize and rice seeds, as well as agricultural machinery such as tractors.
“Pumps and pumped irrigation — we will provide everything. The farmers of Central Java must not lack pumps or water. Two thousand pumps were delivered previously — I will add another five thousand, so the total will now be seven thousand,” he said, responding to Ahmad Luthfi, who had already written to the Ministry regarding the need for water pumps.
Amran added that water is one of the key factors in maintaining farmers’ productivity. He expressed his gratitude for the hard work of farmers across Indonesia, which meant the food self-sufficiency target announced for four years was achieved within just one year. This was evidenced by data released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Previously, Ahmad Luthfi stated that rice productivity in Central Java in 2025 reached 9.7 million tonnes, contributing 15.6 per cent of national rice needs. The central government’s target for 2026 has been raised to 10.5 million tonnes.
To achieve this target, Ahmad Luthfi, together with the regents and mayors, has committed to protecting farmland through the protected paddy field (LSD) scheme. He has even partnered with the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning to determine the standard area of paddy fields across Central Java.
“Central Java is the nation’s food barn, so we must preserve its agricultural land,” he said.
On that occasion, Ahmad Luthfi also touched on the letter sent by the Central Java Provincial Government to Amran requesting water pump assistance to confront the prolonged drought and dry spells in several areas.
He requested water pump assistance for Central Java in order to preserve the province’s role as the nation’s food barn.
Meanwhile, to anticipate drought disasters as well as forest and land fires, the Central Java Provincial Government issued a Governor’s Circular on 9 June 2026. The circular serves as a guideline to strengthen coordination and improve the preparedness of all regional governments in facing potential disasters during the dry season. Inspections of the reservoirs across Central Java have also been carried out to ensure that water supplies for farmland are maintained.
According to data from the Central Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), more than a dozen regencies and cities in Central Java have declared standby status, namely Sukoharjo, Demak, Temanggung, Brebes, Kendal, Sragen, Banjarnegara, Purbalingga, Grobogan, Semarang, Pemalang, Wonosobo, Purworejo, Wonogiri, the City of Salatiga and the City of Tegal.
From 5 June to 14 July 2026, clean water assistance totalling 3,258,000 litres has been distributed via 660 tankers to 30,378 heads of families, or around 81,297 people, across 15 regencies: Cilacap, Banyumas, Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Purworejo, Magelang, Boyolali, Klaten, Sukoharjo, Sragen, Grobogan, Jepara, Demak, Semarang and Pemalang.
Furthermore, clean water management has not only been carried out by the Central Java Provincial Government, but also in collaboration with local regency governments, BPJS Kesehatan, the Serayu Opak River Basin Centre and the regional-owned enterprise Tirta Satria, through corporate social responsibility programmes. This spirit of mutual cooperation is Central Java’s strength in confronting disasters.