Kupastuntas.co, Lampung English - The West Lampung Regency Government through the Department of Food Crops and Horticulture (DTPH) noted that 271 hectares of community agricultural land in Bumi Beguai Jejama Betik experienced drought due to the El-Nino phenomenon, thereby potentially reducing farmers' agricultural production.

Head of West Lampung DTPH, Nata Djudin Amran, said that the El Nino phenomenon that has occurred in the last few months has had a big impact on the agricultural sector in West Lampung.

He said that hundreds of hectares of agricultural land experiencing drought had the potential to reduce agricultural production in West Lampung. There are two sub-districts that are greatly impacted by the El Nino phenomenon, namely Suoh and Bandar Negeri Suoh (BNS).

"These two sub-districts are areas that are centers of agricultural products, especially rice. The majority of agricultural land that is dry occurs in these two sub-districts, so the harvest is threatened with failure," he told reporters, Wednesday 25 October 2023.

With the current conditions, he said, farmers are faced with quite difficult problems because the difficulty of getting a water supply can hamper the productivity of farmers, the majority of whom depend on the agricultural sector for their livelihood.

"The impact of El Nino is felt in the agricultural sector. Many rice fields in Suoh and Bandar Negeri Suoh lack water and some are even dry, this condition is the most difficult condition for farmers, so this is our common concern," he said

Nata explained that in a normal planting season farmers can produce 5-6 tons of grain per hectare, but due to current conditions grain production will certainly decrease.

"These two sub-districts are the locations most affected by El Nino, approximately 150 hectares of rice fields in Suoh District and 121 hectares of rice fields in Bandar Negeri Suoh which are dry. Although not all of them have failed to harvest, it is certain that the yield will decrease," he said.

To help farmers overcome this problem, he said, the West Lampung district government has distributed aid in the form of rice to affected residents in the two sub-districts in the hope of reducing the burden on affected farmers.

"There is already assistance for farmers, the Lampung Barr district government has provided aid in the form of food to the people in these two sub-districts and hopefully this will be enough to help ease the burden on the people affected by El Nino," he said.

Asked about the impact on other areas, Nata said that until now no reports had been received by his party. Although Suoh and Bandar Negeri Suoh are not the only areas that are rice barns in West Lampung.

"For other areas which are also our agricultural breadbasket, one of which is Sukau District, which is still considered safe. Until now there have been no reports of damage due to El Niño in Sukau. You could say it is quite safe because the Sukau area still has enough water," he explained.

He hopes that the El Nino phenomenon will pass quickly so that the agricultural cycle in West Lampung returns to normal as before. So, farmers can cultivate their land and produce maximum results. (*)