Drought threatens food shortages

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Some 176,000 families here are threatened by potential food shortages due to the expected failure of the coming crop.

An estimated 7,600 hectares of paddy field are expected to be ruined due to the extended dry season.

Governor Harun Alrasyid has alerted local officials, calling on them to make preparations. He said 1,500 tons of rice are being readied for distribution to anticipate food shortages in Lombok and Sumbawa, which is known as a drought prone area.

"This is to anticipate the possibility of food shortages, particularly in South Lombok," he said here on Wednesday. (49)