Panca Nugraha, Mataram – A nationwide fertilizer shortage has the country's farmers deeply concerned, especially in West Nusa Tenggara, where the rice planting season is in full swing.
The price of subsidized urea has risen sharply compared to the highest retail price (HET) set by the government.
In Gerung district, West Lombok regency, subsidized urea that should have been sold to farmers for Rp 120,000 (US$10.90) per 100-kilogram sack based on the HET, now sells for Rp 150,000.
"It cost Rp 150,000 when I bought it last week. However, I had to buy it because I need it to fertilize my rice paddy with," I Nyoman Suyasa, 50, a farmer in Dasan Tapen village, Gerung, told The Jakarta Post.
Eleven farming communities in the village say they face difficulty obtaining fertilizer at a time when their 2-week-old rice seedlings need it the most. On Wednesday, Wahidjan, head of the West Nusa Tenggara Indonesian Farmers Association (SPI), said the fertilizer shortage had spread to several regencies across the province.
"We surveyed farmers in Sumbawa, West Lombok and Central Lombok regencies, and it turns out fertilizer is not readily available there," he said.
He added the price of subsidized fertilizer had surged from Rp 1,200 to Rp 1,800 per kg at the retail level.
Wahidjan also said the SPI had sent a letter to the governor to get his administration to resolve the issue, because the shortage threatened rice production this year.
The current supply of urea is sufficient for only 40 percent of the province's total farmland, he went on, and could result in a 20 percent drop in rice production.
"And this is just the fertilizer scarcity, not to mention pest attacks or natural disasters," Wahidjan said.
The scarcity is also having a social impact. On Jan. 6, hundreds of farmers in Gerung district stopped a truck carrying 17 tons of fertilizer near the Lembar ferry crossing.
The shipment, destined for another regency, was finally sold to the protesting farmers despite tight police security.
Early last week, dozens of farmers in Central Lombok convened at the provincial legislative building to protest the fertilizer shortage in their area.
"A situation like this is dangerous because it could ignite conflict among farmers," Wahidjan said.
He blamed the shortage on irregularities in the province's subsidized fertilizer distribution network, particularly on the part of distributors, and urged the government to monitor the system.
However, Dadih Permana, head of the provincial agricultural and plantation office, denied there was a fertilizer shortage in the province, but admitted there were problems in the distribution network.
"Our fertilizer stocks are safe right now. We have allocated around 127 tons of subsidized fertilizer, the same as last year. So there's no shortage," he said.
Instead, he blamed farmers for being heedless when requesting subsidized fertilizer. He said a number of farming communities in West Lombok had only applied on Jan. 5, although distributors in the regency were closed after Dec. 30.
In Central Java, 140 hectares of rice paddies in Jepang village in Mejobo district, Kudus regency, have not been fertilized.
"Most of the paddies in our village haven't been fertilized because of limited fertilizer stocks at retailers," said local farmer Subardi as quoted by Antara on Wednesday.