Agusen residents optimistic about swift restoration of agricultural land

Blangkejeren, Gayo Lues (ANTARA) - Residents of Agusen Village, Blangkejeren Subdistrict, Gayo Lues Regency, Aceh, remain optimistic that the agricultural sector, their primary source of livelihood, will recover after being hit by flash floods accompanied by landslides.

Agusen Village Head Ramadhan, when met at his home on Thursday, stated that the majority of residents work as coffee, hazelnut, and rice farmers.

Around 25 hectares of rice fields and 43 hectares of coffee-hazelnut land in Agusen Village were damaged by the disaster, significantly impacting local incomes.

Nevertheless, he said, the residents’ enthusiasm to return to farming has not waned, and some have begun cleaning their land gradually.

Ramadhan explained that proposals for land restoration have been submitted to the local government and then forwarded to the central government, including the Ministry of Agriculture, as part of efforts to accelerate economic recovery.

With the government’s commitment to support, he is confident that residents’ agricultural land can soon recover and become productive again as before.

Ramadhan hopes that land restoration will also be accompanied by guarantees of harvest absorption to be realised soon, so that the community can resume activities and improve their family welfare.

Marina (23), a flood survivor and coffee farmer from Agusen Village, added that the coffee sector is their economic mainstay with substantial potential output of more than 10 tonnes per hectare of Gayo robusta coffee every harvest season before the disaster struck in November 2023.

The coffee plantation land in the village, located in the highlands of Gayo at an elevation of 1,079 metres above sea level, is almost reverting to forest because no one has tended it after being abandoned for evacuation more than three months ago, and access roads and bridges are damaged.

However, Marina revealed that the general situation has now improved, with access reconnected, and some coffee farmers in Agusen Village successfully harvested a few days ago, although yields were limited.

Yet, many farmers still cannot return to their fields even though they have been back in the village for about a month.

This is due to access roads to gardens far from settlements being blocked by subsequent landslides, and a lack of supporting equipment for harvesting. Marina is one of the farmers facing this situation.