Kupastuntas.co, South Lampung - Of the 35 thousand rice fields currently in South Lampung (Lamsel) Regency, 3,081 hectares of them are currently experiencing drought. Meanwhile in Pringsewu Regency, of the 12,525 hectares of rice fields, 592 hectares are also experiencing drought.

Chairman of the Association of Farmers' Groups (Gapoktan) Makmur Sejati, Sidomakmur Village, Way Panji District, South Lampung (Lamsel), Joko said that 250 hectares of rice fields in his area were affected by drought due to the El Nino phenomenon.

Joko said the rice fields that were experiencing drought should be harvesting this September. At present the farmers who have harvested their fields are only around 5 percent with modest yields due to drought.

"Under normal conditions, an average of 1 hectare can harvest rice as much as 6.5 tons to 7 tons and even up to 10 tons. Those who planted early in June can still harvest. But those who plant in mid-June may only be able to harvest around 50 percent," said Joko, Tuesday (5/9/2023).

Joko said, currently the price of grain in the fields is IDR 6,500 per kilogram. Even though the price of grain is good, unfortunately many rice fields are experiencing drought.

Head of the Food Crops Division at the Lamsel Horticulture and Plantation Food Crops Service, Eka Saputra, explained that rice crops in Lamsel currently cover an area of 35 thousand hectares and 3,081 of them are experiencing drought.

"The rice fields are experiencing drought due to a lack of water supply due to the drought. He predicts that rice productivity will decrease by 15 to 20 percent.

"The estimated losses incurred if the rice fields are dry are 3,081 hectares and per hectare the harvest could reach IDR 10 million. So farmers' losses could reach around IDR 3 billion," said Eka, Tuesday (5/9/2023).

To prevent the impact of the drought from spreading, he appealed to Korlup, extension workers, Gapoktan and Poktan to utilize existing water sources such as reservoirs, drilled wells and the Way Sekampung river to irrigate rice fields.

"The impact of El Nino is almost evenly distributed in all sub-districts in South Lampung such as Natar, Tanjung Bintang, Tanjung Sari, Merbau Mataram, Way Sulan, Sidomulyo, Candipuro, Way Panji, Kalianda, Sragi and Ketapang sub-districts. However, the most affected in Way Sulan are 980 hectares of dry rice fields," he explained.

Eka advises farmers who plant during the low season to take advantage of the Rice Farming Business Insurance (AUTP) program. So farmers who fail to harvest can receive compensation of IDR 6 million per hectare.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Pringsewu Regency Agriculture Service, Mariyanto, said that the area of rice fields affected by drought in Pringsewu was 592 hectares (4.7%) of the total planting area in the gadu season of 12,525 hectares.

"So far, the area of land affected by the drought has no potential for crop failure. In the 2023 gadu planting season, rice production is estimated to reach 64,623 tonnes," said Mariyanto, Tuesday (5/9/2023)

He explained that during the Gadu season, rice productivity is around 4.9 tonnes to 5.2 tonnes per hectare. "To anticipate drought, farmers are trying to use drilled wells and embungs as a source of water to irrigate rice fields," he said.

Mariyanto said that during the dry season like now there is usually a decline in rice productivity of up to 0.5 tonnes per hectare.

Poniem (57), a farmer in Pekon Podosari, Pringsewu District, said he only got 6 sacks of rice for a quarter hectare of rice field.

"I have a quarter hectare of rice field. Before the dry season I could get 20 kandi (sacks) of rice, but now the yield is only 6 sacks," said Poniem, Tuesday (5/9/2023). (*)