Majalengka Allocates Rp 13 Billion for Pumping and Piped Irrigation to Tackle Dry Fields
MAJALENGKA — The Majalengka Regency Government is strengthening food security by upgrading agricultural irrigation facilities and infrastructure. One measure is assistance for pumping irrigation (Irpom) and piped irrigation (Irpip), with a total budget of more than Rp 13 billion.
Majalengka Regent Eman Suherman made the remarks while attending a preparatory meeting for the distribution of pumping and piped irrigation assistance at the hall of the Majalengka Regency Food Security, Agriculture and Fisheries Office (DKP3) on Monday (26 October 2026). Eman said the assistance reflected the government’s concern for farmers, particularly those cultivating rain-fed land who face limited water supplies during the dry season.
He explained that more than Rp 13 billion in irrigation assistance had been allocated across around 80 locations in Majalengka. It covers various agricultural sectors, from food crops and horticulture to sugar-cane plantations.
The technical assistance allocation is Rp 155.7 million per pumping irrigation unit and Rp 97 million per piped irrigation unit.
Eman said he hoped the assistance would increase agricultural productivity and raise the Cropping Index (IP), from its current level of 1 or 1.7 towards 3. This would give farmers the opportunity to plant crops up to three times a year.
“This is important so that we can raise our Cropping Index target from 1 or 1.7 towards 3. Farmers must not be left struggling for water during the dry season,” he stressed.
He also urged recipient farmer groups to manage and maintain the irrigation facilities responsibly. Government-provided facilities, he said, should be regarded as shared assets whose benefits can be enjoyed over the long term.
“I remind farmer groups to manage and look after this assistance with a sense of ownership, not merely to seek profit, so that its benefits can be sustained,” Eman said.
In addition to irrigation assistance, efforts to maintain water supplies for agriculture include the construction of diversion channels in partnership with the Citarum River Basin Organisation (BBWS). Eman praised the results of drought mitigation in areas that have traditionally been vulnerable to water shortages, particularly Kertajati and Jatitujuh districts. These efforts have reportedly increased harvested area from around 500 hectares to 2,000 hectares.
He said the achievement demonstrated the importance of collaboration between local and central government in providing infrastructure to support agriculture, particularly in response to changing seasonal conditions and limited water resources.
Majalengka DKP3 head Gatot Sulaeman said the office was committed to ensuring that the distribution, technical implementation and management of the assistance complied with regulations. He said recipient locations had been verified and assessed technically on the basis of local geography and water needs. Priority would go to agricultural areas requiring water-supply support and with potential surface-water or groundwater sources.
“This Irpom and Irpip assistance has been allocated to locations that have undergone objective verification and technical geographical assessment,” he said.