Drought threatens West Java rice supply

Drought threatens West Java rice supply

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu, West Java

Over 45,000 hectares of rice plants in the Indramayu and Cirebon
regencies, known as the rice belt of West Java, have withered
following the early arrival of the annual drought, predicted to
last until November.

A tract of farmland in the region could not be planted and in
some areas, young rice plants could not grow because of the
drastic decrease in the water supply from three dams in the
province.

"Almost all irrigation channels to farms in a number of
districts in the regency are drying up because there is no water
supply from the three dams," chief of the Indramayu settlement
and infrastructures office Rahardjo told The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday.

He said that the water supply of the dams in Salam Darma,
Subang regency, in Bendung Rentang, Majalengka regency, and in
Jatiluhur, Purwakarta regency, had suddenly decreased because it
had not rained over the last few weeks.

Rahardjo said around 20,000 hectares of rice plants had
withered in the districts of Karangampel, Krangkeng, Juntinyuat,
Balongan, Losarang and Kandanghaur, and farmers could do nothing
as the dry season began in May, two months earlier than expected.

Chief of the local agriculture office Muhaimin said he was
pessimistic that the farmers could plant the target 95,000
hectares of rice during the planting season.

"So far, only about 52,000 hectares have been planted," he
said, adding that the drought would affect the regency's rice
production this year.

Separately, chief of the Cirebon agriculture office Sathori
Djuhaeri confirmed that the drought has damaged 25 hectares of
rice fields in the regency.

"Compared to 2002, the situation is worse this year because
the early drought has damaged tens of thousands of rice paddies
in the regency," he said.

Thousands of villagers are also suffering from the drought, as
their wells have dried up and they are running out of fresh
water.

He said that the districts worst-hit by the drought were
Kepetakan, Arjowinangun, North Cirebon, Kaliwedi, Panguragan and
Gresik.

Kusnen, a local farmer, said that more than two hectares of
rice plants on his farm had "turned yellow" because of the water
crisis.