Prabowo: Five new dams to boost rice production by up to 1 million tonnes

President Prabowo Subianto announced that five newly inaugurated dams could help increase rice production by up to one million tonnes. Speaking at the simultaneous inauguration ceremony from Meninting Dam in West Nusa Tenggara on Friday, he relayed a report from Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman. “The Agriculture Minister reported to me that these five dams, with technology and the best seeds, could produce one million tonnes of rice,” President Prabowo said. The five dams inaugurated are Meninting Dam in Gunung Sari District, West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara; Keureuto Dam and Rukoh Dam in Aceh; Jlantah Dam in Central Java; and Sidan Dam in Bali. “The five dams we inaugurate today represent a state investment of approximately Rp9.79 trillion,” the President stated. On the same occasion, President Prabowo revealed plans to build more dams, particularly following savings achieved across various sectors, including the official launch of the B50 biodiesel programme on Thursday. “These five dams cost Rp9.79 trillion. From B50, we will save Rp170 trillion. Imagine how many dozens of dams we can build each year,” he added. The President delivered a similar message to communities at the four other dam locations. “Look after these dams well, manage them professionally, and maintain them properly. Ensure that the water needed by farmers reaches them. Farmers are food producers. Without food, there is no nation,” President Prabowo said. Meninting Dam, which hosted the inauguration ceremony, is located in Bukti Tinggi Village, Gunung Sari District, and Dasan Geria Village, Lingsar District, West Lombok. Construction began in 2019 and was completed in 2025. The dam has a capacity of 13.14 million cubic metres and a reservoir area of approximately 54 hectares. It functions for irrigation, water storage and reserves, flood control, a micro-hydro power plant, and a solar power plant. The Meninting Dam area is now equipped with a spillway to prevent overflow, an intake structure, and an inspection road to support operations and maintenance.