Harvest Failure May Hit 2 Million Hectares of Rice Fields
10 August 2015 16:20 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman said that until October this year there would be some two million hectares of rice fields that have not been harvested. The paddies may experience harvest failure if no anticipative measures are taken.
"The unharvested paddies account for about 15 percent of this harvest season's production total," Amran said in Jakarta, Monday, August 10, 2015.
According to Amran, every year the potential for rice crop failure reaches 200,000 hectares. He said that his ministry has been trying to lower that number by building 1.3 million hectares of tertiary irrigation system and preparing a number of water pumps rice cultivation centers.
Today, the total area size of unharvested rice fields reaches 20,000 hectares. Last week, the area size was only 17,000 hectares. Despite the circumstances, Amran is confident that the ministry's efforts will be able to reduce the size of unharvested fields from last year's 35,000 hectares.
Crop failure, he said, will not affect rice supply as it has not reached more than 100,000 hectares.
Indonesia now has harvested 75 percent of the country's entire rice paddies. The national stock of rice is considered sufficient until September.
ROBBY IRFANY
