Agriculture Minister Urges Regional Heads to Map Drought-Prone Areas Ahead of Dry Season
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has urged regional governments to promptly map agricultural areas at risk of drought. This step is deemed crucial to confront the dry season triggered by the El Niño phenomenon, while maintaining production stability and national food security.
The instruction is directed to all governors and regents in Indonesia to identify regions frequently affected by drought and prepare an integrated early warning system.
“In anticipation of the dry season this year, the Ministry of Agriculture has instructed all governors and regents across Indonesia to map drought-prone areas and implement an early warning system,” the Minister stated during a working meeting with Commission IV of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/4).
According to him, such mapping is essential to enable quicker and more accurate responses to potential droughts. With thorough planning and cross-sectoral coordination at the local level, the impact on agricultural production is expected to be minimised as much as possible.
Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture is optimising irrigation water resource management. Efforts include rehabilitating irrigation networks, constructing retention basins, providing shallow and deep wells, and utilising piped pump systems and pumped irrigation.
Other strengthened strategies include accelerating planting periods with drought-resistant crop varieties, adapting planting patterns, and enhancing synergy between local governments and agricultural stakeholders.
To support these policies, the government is also preparing various agricultural tools and machinery in stages, such as water pumps, tractors, hand sprayers, and transplanters in large quantities.
Amran revealed that from 2024 to 2025, the government has provided approximately 171,000 units of agricultural tools and machinery to bolster farmers’ readiness in facing climate change and the dry season.
Meanwhile, for 2026, the government targets the distribution of 37,000 units of water infrastructure, encompassing pumped irrigation, piping, conservation, and tertiary network rehabilitation. Additionally, around 94,000 water pump units will be added to support agricultural productivity.
Previously, the Minister also emphasised that Indonesia has experience in handling the El Niño phenomenon, thus capable of maintaining food production stability through measured adaptation and mitigation strategies.
“(El Niño) Godzilla is said to cause six months of drought. But it seems the previous El Niño (in) 2015 was still higher. We already have experience managing El Niño with colleagues (in) 2015, 2023, 2024. La Niña, El Niño,” the Minister said when met on the sidelines of inspecting the Bulog Panaikang Warehouse in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Sunday (5/4). (Ant/E-4)