Drought Threatens Indonesian Rice Fields, Amran Plans to Pour in Rp2 Trillion

The government is beginning to anticipate the impact of extreme El Niño, which has the potential to disrupt national food production. Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman stated that his ministry has mapped out and intensified assistance for seeds and irrigation of rice fields in Indonesia that are at risk of drought. As an initial step, the government is accelerating the distribution of drought-resistant rice seed aid. These varieties are designed with a shorter planting period, making them more adaptive to extreme weather conditions. “The aid (drought-resistant varieties) is already underway; we have budgeted for it. Perhaps the total estimate is Rp2 trillion,” Amran revealed during a press conference at the Ministry of Agriculture Auditorium in Jakarta on Monday (20/4/2026). After strengthening the seed aspect, the government is also speeding up technical interventions in the field, one of which is through pompanisation to maintain water availability. To date, 170 districts/cities have applied for pump assistance to irrigate around 1 million hectares (ha) of rice fields. “Directly today, we registered pumps for 80,000 units, approximately 1 million hectares. And for those who come diligently, we accelerate the aid. The regions? Ah, there are 170 regents,” he said. This step was discussed in a national meeting with hundreds of regional heads, in line with the push to accelerate the agricultural programme initiated by President Prabowo Subianto. To ensure the pumps operate optimally, the government is also guaranteeing energy supplies. The Ministry of Agriculture is coordinating with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to provide special diesel for the agricultural sector. “Diesel is no problem because agriculture has its quota; we are collaborating with the Minister of ESDM. We have a diesel quota for agriculture,” Amran stated. In addition to pompanisation, strengthening the irrigation system is also being carried out to keep the water supply stable during the dry season. “Irrigation, pompanisation, and so on for 1.5 million hectares across Indonesia,” he said. On the other hand, the government assures that the national rice reserves are still in a safe condition to face the El Niño period, which is estimated to last around six months. The Government Rice Reserves (CBP) at Perum Bulog are projected to reach 5 million tons in the near future. In addition, the potential harvest (standing crop) is estimated at 11 million tons, and stocks in the hotel, restaurant, and café sector (horeka) at 12.5 million tons. “The total could be 11 months. The El Niño estimate is only 6 months. Meanwhile, our reserves are for 11 months,” he concluded.