Khofifah instructs regional heads to maintain agricultural production

Surabaya (ANTARA) - East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has instructed regents and mayors to strengthen strategic steps to maintain agricultural production in order to anticipate the impact of the 2026 dry season in the East Java region.

The instruction is contained in East Java Governor’s Letter Number 500.6.1/10499/110/2026 as a follow-up to the Republic of Indonesia Minister of Agriculture’s Letter Number B-73/TI.050/M/03/2026 dated 9 March 2026 regarding early anticipation of the dry season.

“We will enhance coordination and synergy between local governments, both regents and mayors throughout East Java, so that everyone can anticipate the dry season early this year,” she said in Surabaya on Thursday.

Khofifah emphasised that anticipatory steps must be taken early to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production while supporting the national food self-sufficiency target.

Based on projections from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the dry season in East Java is expected to last from April to August 2026, with the potential for increased drought risks in several areas.

To this end, local governments are requested to map drought-prone areas, build an early warning system, and activate drought brigades.

In addition, optimisation of water resource management will be carried out through the rehabilitation of irrigation networks, the construction of retention basins, the utilisation of shallow wells, as well as pump and pipeline technology.