Strategy to Anticipate El Nino Impact on Food in Banyumas Raya
The Purwokerto Representative Office of Bank Indonesia (KPwBI) in Central Java, together with local governments and relevant stakeholders, is strengthening mitigation measures to anticipate the impact of the El Nino phenomenon. This strategy has been prepared to address the potential for a prolonged dry season that could disrupt food stability in the Banyumas Raya region.
Head of KPwBI Purwokerto, Aswin Gantina, explained that the anticipatory measures are being carried out comprehensively from the upstream to downstream sectors. The main focus is on maintaining agricultural productivity, ensuring supply availability, and maintaining food price stability in the market.
In the upstream sector, BI Purwokerto is encouraging the optimisation of agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation networks and pumping systems. Effective water resource management is key amid the threat of drought. In addition, farmers are being directed to use crop varieties that are more adaptive to dry conditions.
“We are also encouraging the development of food centres, land optimisation, and the empowerment of young farmers through the application of digital farming technology. This step is expected to maintain supply sustainability amid climate challenges,” said Aswin on Monday (24/8).
Intensive assistance is also being provided to farmer groups and pesantren communities for the development of strategic food commodities. On the distribution side, BI is strengthening inter-regional cooperation through Government to Government (G2G) and Business to Business (B2B) schemes in the Banyumas Raya area.
To maintain price affordability for the public, KPwBI Purwokerto is relying on market operations, the Cheap Food Movement, and the strengthening of the Toko Tani network. Monitoring of the Highest Retail Price (HET) is also being tightened to prevent price speculation.
Aswin added that regional inflation control is being carried out through the synergy of the Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID) with the 4K strategy.
Despite the threat of El Nino, Aswin is optimistic that its impact will not be too significant for Banyumas Raya, which includes Banyumas, Cilacap, Purbalingga, and Banjarnegara regencies. This is supported by agricultural conditions that remain well maintained and the ongoing peak harvest of the second planting season.
Meanwhile, the Central Java Climatology Station of BMKG has issued a warning regarding meteorological drought conditions. Head of BMKG Central Java Climatology Station, Goeroeh Tjiptanto, said the probability of low rainfall (below 50 mm per ten-day period) in Central Java reaches more than 90 percent until the end of August.
Goeroeh urged residents in areas with Waspada (Alert) status to begin conserving water use. Meanwhile, for areas with Siaga (Standby) and Awas (Warning) status, the depletion of water sources such as reservoirs and rivers is beginning to occur, so irrigation management must be carried out strictly.
BMKG advises farmers, especially on rain-fed land, not to force the planting of commodities that require large amounts of water and to switch to more drought-resistant crops to minimise the risk of crop failure.