Banten Provincial Government Confident El Niño Will Not Disrupt Agriculture Sector in 2026

The Banten Provincial Government has conveyed optimism that the El Niño dry season phenomenon this year will not disrupt the agriculture sector. The provincial government claims to have undertaken various efforts to optimise land productivity in its region.

The Head of the Banten Provincial Agriculture Office, Nasir, stated that intensive coordination has been conducted by the local government with the Ministry of Agriculture as a precautionary measure against the dry season.

“The Minister has already provided directives at the National Coordination Meeting specifically for anticipating drought. We have been asked to optimise all existing potentials,” Nasir said in Serang City on Wednesday (22/4/2026).

The government stated that it has prepared infrastructure in the form of pipanisasi, pompanisasi, and increased farmer readiness in facing the peak dry season, which is predicted to occur in August 2026. In addition, farmers are urged to advance their planting period to avoid technical constraints when the long dry spell arrives.

Nasir believes that these steps can suppress the risk of crop failure or total loss. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that there are still areas potentially affected.

“I think there are (affected areas) because most of our land is rain-fed paddy fields. But we have already facilitated alsintan (agricultural tools and machinery) to draw water and other needs, so the land condition can be better,” he explained.

The Banten Provincial Government has set a planting area target of 537,000 hectares for 2026. This figure represents a significant increase compared to the previous year’s achievement.

“There is an increase of about 30 percent, with a target of 537,000 hectares of planted area. Insyaallah it will meet the target. We continue to monitor it through routine monthly coordination meetings,” he said.