Pump Irrigation Programme Prepared to Counter El Niño Threat

The government is preparing a pump irrigation programme to anticipate the potential El Niño that is expected to trigger drought. This step is taken to keep food production stable. General Chairman of the Indonesian Farmers Harmony Association (HKTI), who is also Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono, stated that the Ministry of Agriculture has gathered hundreds of regional heads to strengthen mitigation. “We gathered yesterday 300 regents and several governors came to the Ministry of Agriculture to mitigate how we anticipate this Godzilla El Niño,” Sudaryono said at the Ministry of Agriculture office in Jakarta on Monday (27/4/2026). Sudaryono mentioned that the current weather conditions are still relatively supportive. Rainfall in several regions such as South Sumatra, Jambi, to Kalimantan is still quite good for accelerating planting. According to him, farmers in various regions are utilising these conditions by replanting after harvest. This step is considered important to maintain production continuity before the dry season arrives. “Up to now, it hasn’t been visible yet, not yet,” Sudaryono said.