KTNA Calls for Drought Mitigation: Optimise Water Pumps and Strengthen Synergy
The Chairman of the National Kontak Tani Nelayan Andalan (KTNA), HM Yadi Sofyan Noor, has called for swift mitigation actions from all KTNA levels at provincial and district/city tiers, as well as agricultural extension workers. This is to address the potential drought forecasted by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in the coming months.
These mitigation steps are deemed crucial to maintaining national food production stability, particularly rice, while supporting the sustainable self-sufficiency programme promoted by President Prabowo Subianto and Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman.
In his statement today, Yadi Sofyan Noor reminded the importance of maximising government programmes, including the utilisation of around 70,000 water pump units distributed since 2024 for drought-prone areas. He urged regions to immediately inventory and map the locations of pumps distributed across Alsintan Brigades, TNI units (Korem/Kodim), agriculture services, and farmer groups.
“This inventory will serve as the basis for mobilising pumps when water flow decreases at the peak of the dry season. Pump locations must be overlaid or mapped in conjunction with surface water sources such as small rivers, irrigation ditches, and wells around rain-fed paddy fields,” said Sofyan. The aim is to optimally utilise surface water before it flows to the sea, especially on paddy fields with a one-planting index (IP100).
From the cultivation aspect, KTNA encourages farmers to select drought-resistant rice varieties such as Inpago (upland rice), amphibious varieties, and other adaptive varieties. Additionally, farmers are reminded to apply intermittent irrigation methods.
This method involves periodic water application (ponding depth of about 5 cm every week) and has proven more efficient for rice growth, which does not actually require permanent flooding.
KTNA also welcomes the acceleration of modernisation through agricultural tools and machines (Alsintan) such as two-wheeled tractors, rice transplanters, agricultural drones, and combine harvesters. Full mechanisation makes the process from land preparation to harvest faster and more adaptive to weather changes.
Sofyan reflected on the experience of facing the 2023–2024 El Niño, where budget refocusing policies for water pumps successfully saved around 2.7 million hectares of rain-fed paddy fields out of a total of 7.38 million hectares of national paddy land. “We are optimistic that if mitigation is carried out as early as possible in a coordinated manner, rice production will remain stable, and we even have the opportunity to increase exports next year,” he added.
Full support from Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, who regularly visits the field, further motivates farmers. Recently, Sofyan discussed with Ali Jamil, Acting Special Staff to the Minister for Infrastructure, to identify field issues and provide quick drought mitigation solutions.
Quoting Minister Amran’s directives, Ali Jamil emphasised the importance of optimising infrastructure. “Do not let water flow to the sea before producing carbohydrates and protein. Optimise all facilities so that our rice production is higher in 2025,” he concluded.