Eras Poke, Kupang – Hundreds of farmers in two subdistricts of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara are asking for government assistance after their rice and corn harvests failed, as families face critical shortages in their food supply.

"According to a report by the head of the East Rote district, harvest failures had hit some 38 hectares of farmland [in Pantai Baru] managed by 100 families," Yulius Tulle, district secretary for social affairs in Rote Ndao, said in Kupang on Saturday.

"In Oehandi village in Southwest Rote, 106.5 hectares had failed to produce crops, with 153 families suffering losses."

Tulle said that those figures did not take into account other villages that had also been hit by crop failures this harvest season, including Batutua, Lekik, Dolasi, Oelasi, Oeleta, Mbokak, Oebafok, Mekoain, Lakaoen, Oeseli and Oeboni in Southwest Rote, and a number of other villages in Pantai Baru subdistrict.

"We've responded to the report by asking for the assistance of the East Nusa Tenggara social affairs office, since the government of Rote Ndao has only a limited amount of funds," Tulle said.

Tulle said that his office could not pinpoint the reason for the crop failures, although changes in the weather brought about by El Nino were suspected.

"Whether it's the weather, pests, diseases or other factors, only the authorities in related agencies can explain the cause of this harvest failure," he said, adding that his agency was currently more focused on mitigating the impact on farmers' livelihood than on finding the cause.

"As a social agency, our task is to find a solution to save the stricken farmers' families," Tulle said. "After all, harvest failure has a tremendous economic impact on those families."

Untung, the acting head of agriculture, plantations and forestry in Rote Ndao, said separately that his agency had sent a special team to identify and investigate the areas worst hit by the crop failures.

"We have appointed a team [to investigate] the food scarcity, to visit villages in the two districts and identify the location and existing problems related with the harvest failure," he said.

"The team is expected to increase its working speed by involving counselors and village authorities, and report the results of their investigation to help us decide what steps to take next."

Untung said his office would work with the Rote Ndao social affairs office on the issue.

"The harvest failure may lead to food scarcity since the villagers' food stores may have been dwindling or even depleted since the last harvest. We will also prepare preemptive steps, including provision of seeds, if shortfalls are found to be common," he said.