Government Strengthens Strategy to Maintain Food Production Amid Dry Season
The government is strengthening anticipatory, adaptation, and mitigation measures to face the 2026 dry season to ensure national food production is maintained.
Armed with reinforced water infrastructure, the provision of superior seeds, agricultural modernisation, and support from regional governments, the Ministry of Agriculture is optimistic that the food self-sufficiency target can be sustained.
Ministry Secretary General Suwandi, during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, stressed that the food sector is a crucial foundation for national resilience and sovereignty. “Food is not just a basic need, but a strategic necessity for the nation. Safeguarding food means safeguarding the sovereignty and future of the country,” Suwandi said.
Suwandi stated that, in line with the directives of President Prabowo Subianto, the agricultural sector is a vital part of the national development agenda for the next five years, particularly to support food self-sufficiency, the Free Nutritious Meals programme, biofuel development, and agricultural downstreaming.
According to him, Indonesia is entering this year’s dry season with far better preparedness compared to previous periods. Various production strengthening programmes have been implemented, ranging from land optimisation, new paddy field creation, construction and development of pumping irrigation, provision of superior seeds, to strengthening coordination between central and regional governments.
He also asserted that this year’s climate conditions cannot be equated with the strong El Niño phenomena that occurred in 2015 or 2023. Based on climate data monitoring from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and NOAA satellites, this year’s dry season is expected to take place under more controlled conditions. “Therefore, what needs to be done is to increase vigilance and preparedness, not to create excessive worry,” he said.
Since early 2026, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman has instructed all regional governments to strengthen anticipatory measures against potential drought. Through a letter sent to governors and regents on 9 March 2026, regional governments were asked to map drought-prone areas, strengthen early warning systems, repair irrigation networks, normalise water channels, and optimise the use of retention basins and reservoirs. “We ask the regions to map areas that have historically been prone to drought so that rescue measures can be carried out more quickly and precisely,” Suwandi said.
Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture continues to update weather and climate information through BMKG and NOAA satellite monitoring so that farmers can adjust planting patterns according to field conditions. The government has also prepared various superior varieties that are more adaptive to drought conditions, such as Inpari, Inpago, Situbagendit, Situ Patenggang, Pajajaran, and other early-maturing varieties.