Indramayu Agriculture Office Receives Drought Reports, Acts to Prevent Crop Failure

The Agriculture Office of Indramayu Regency has received reports of drought affecting paddy fields in the area and is taking steps to prevent crop failure. Office head Sugeng Heryanto explained that his team is working to save the paddy crops by implementing rotational water distribution. Water is channelled evenly to the paddy fields under supervision to ensure it reaches farmers’ land.

Sugeng added that the Ministry of Agriculture has a pump and irrigation pumping programme. Through this programme, water is drawn from surface or groundwater sources using pumps to irrigate dry or rain-fed land. Pump assistance has been distributed and will be used by farmers.

‘We are currently facing weather challenges in Planting Season 2. There is information about El Niño and a long dry season,’ he said. Sugeng revealed that Indramayu has 125,000 hectares of paddy fields this planting season. With a planting index of 1.8, meaning most land can be harvested up to twice a year, the regency is targeting a significant harvest. ‘We will harvest approximately 230,000 hectares. Based on our data, average production reaches 6.6 tonnes per hectare. God willing, we can produce over 1.6 million tonnes in a year. This is our estimate,’ Sugeng stated. Indramayu Regency continues its efforts to maintain its position as a national food barn.