Amran Assures Indonesia is Prepared for Dry Season, Reveals When Rain Will Return
The Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed the readiness of irrigation infrastructure to maintain national food production during the dry season. Coordination with the Ministry of Public Works is underway, covering irrigation, retention basins, pump systems, and reservoirs and dams.
Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman stated that the government has anticipated the arrival of the dry season, which generally lasts from August to October. "Every August there is a drought. August, September, October. It rains in November. It is usually like that. As I recall, it rains by 26 October. That is indeed the season. But we have anticipated it. Why? There are more than 100,000 pumps," Amran said when met at his office in Jakarta on Monday (27/7/2026).
When asked about coordination with the Ministry of Public Works in maintaining water facilities such as reservoirs and dams, Amran confirmed that this synergy has been in place for two years. "Oh yes, it is already underway, coordination with Public Works has been running for two years. So irrigation, retention basins, pump systems, combined irrigation and pumps, then reservoirs, and recently we inaugurated a dam, inaugurated by the President. It is all underway," he said.
Echoing Amran, Director General of Agricultural Land and Irrigation at the Ministry of Agriculture, Hermanto, said coordination between the two ministries has been carried out from the outset to face the dry season, especially if drought occurs in several regions. "So, in facing this dry season, we at the Ministry of Agriculture, through the Directorate General of Land and Irrigation, have been coordinated and consolidated with Public Works from the start, and whenever there are points of extreme drought, we immediately go down together," Hermanto said in a separate meeting.
He explained that the Ministry of Agriculture is also continuing various programmes to strengthen agricultural irrigation, from pump-based irrigation and piped irrigation to the construction of conservation structures such as retention basins and long storage, which are being carried out by farmer groups.
Hermanto revealed that several areas in Java have begun to experience drought at certain points. Nonetheless, the government continues to provide assistance and plans to hold a coordination meeting soon to enable a faster response on the ground. "So there are several points, especially in Java, where drought has started to occur in some locations, but we continue to help. Hopefully, in the near future, maybe Wednesday, we plan to hold a coordination meeting to consolidate so that we can respond more quickly on the ground," he said.
He explained that the maintenance of dams, reservoirs, and primary and secondary irrigation networks falls under the authority of the Ministry of Public Works through its River Basin Agency. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture continues to run various supporting irrigation programmes at the farmer level. "The Ministry of Agriculture is also adding pumps, especially for areas that are very short of water but still have a water source that needs to be pumped. That programme is still ongoing," he concluded.