Government Allocates Rp 4 Trillion for Pump Irrigation to Combat Godzilla El Niño

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman revealed that the pump irrigation programme for agricultural land will cost up to Rp 3 trillion to Rp 4 trillion. The programme is aimed at enabling rice paddy farming to maintain production amid the extreme dry period resulting from the Godzilla El Niño. “That’s approximately Rp 3 trillion to Rp 4 trillion,” said Amran when met at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (7/4/2026). Amran stated that the government will deploy 80,000 pump units distributed across various regions. “For the pump irrigation, we will distribute those pumps for approximately Rp 3 to Rp 4 trillion, around 80,000 units across Indonesia,” he explained. According to Amran, farmers will receive the pump facilities for free. “We will provide the pumps free of charge,” he said. During a Working Meeting with Commission IV of the DPR RI, Amran also conveyed that his ministry has instructed regional heads throughout Indonesia to map lands that are consistently affected by drought. They are also asked to maximise irrigation water management by rehabilitating reservoir irrigation, shallow wells, and deep wells. The Ministry of Agriculture is also preparing agricultural machinery and equipment such as tractors, transplanters, sprayers, and others, totalling 171,000 units for 2024-2025. “The target for 2026 is 37,000 units for the distribution of pump irrigation water infrastructure, piped irrigation, construction of conservation, rehabilitation of tertiary irrigation networks, and water pumps totalling 94,000 units for 2024-2025,” he said. Previously, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) warned that the Godzilla El Niño phenomenon could impact the agricultural sector and water resources. However, the phenomenon will not occur uniformly across all regions of Indonesia. Several eastern parts of Indonesia, such as Sulawesi, Maluku, and Halmahera, have the potential to experience high rainfall. BRIN predicts that El Niño will occur alongside the dry season from April to October. “This phenomenon has the potential to trigger drought that can impact various sectors, including agriculture and water resources,” said a researcher from BRIN’s Centre for Climate and Atmospheric Research, Prof. Erma Yulihastin, in a post by @brin_indonesia on Instagram on Thursday (19/3/2026).