Central Java allocates Rp65.5 billion to repair irrigation

Semarang (ANTARA) – The Central Java Provincial Government has allocated Rp65.5 billion in 2026 to rehabilitate tertiary irrigation networks and build piped irrigation systems for agriculture across 25 regencies.

Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi said in Semarang Regency on Tuesday that irrigation infrastructure must directly benefit farmers, particularly in areas where agricultural activity requires a reliable water supply.

The programme is intended to strengthen water availability for farmland while supporting food production.

“Our priority is irrigation that directly serves agriculture in our region,” he said while attending the Agricultural Equipment and Machinery Parade at Tarubudoyo Field in Ungaran, Semarang Regency.

He also urged farmer groups and associations of farmer groups (gapoktan) to coordinate with regency and municipal governments to ensure irrigation networks are used effectively.

“I ask our gapoktan colleagues to coordinate with the regents and mayors. They should identify which areas have already been covered and, as I have instructed, ensure the infrastructure is maintained,” he said.

In addition to building irrigation networks, he said regency and municipal governments had mapped agricultural water needs as part of efforts to prepare for drought.

“We have also mitigated the effects of drought. Through their agriculture offices, regents and mayors have assessed where wells should be drilled, where piped systems are needed and which areas rely on rain-fed land,” he said.

Opik Mahendra, head of infrastructure and facilities at the Central Java Agriculture and Livestock Agency, said the programme includes the rehabilitation of 334 tertiary irrigation sites and the construction of piped irrigation at 75 sites.

“The total budget is Rp65.5 billion. Based on the length of the works, the programme is equivalent to building and rehabilitating around 50 kilometres of irrigation networks,” he said.

The length of the network at each site varies according to local needs and farmland conditions.

He said procurement and construction were under way, and the provincial government aims to inaugurate a number of rehabilitation sites by the end of 2026.