Maudey Khalisha, Jakarta – The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast that this year's dry season will begin earlier and last longer than usual, particularly in the country's western and southern regions.
Some areas are expected to see the season start as early as mid-April, and prolonged dry conditions can leave farmers vulnerable to crop failure, planting delays and production declines.
Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said the government had prepared comprehensive measures to address the issue, focusing on reinforcing irrigation systems and expanding water extraction.
"Water is the key factor. Therefore, strengthening irrigation, pumping [water] and seed support must go hand in hand so farmers can continue to produce optimally," Amran said in a statement on Friday.
During a press conference on March 4 in Jakarta, BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani said mitigation efforts must extend beyond agriculture "by strengthening the water resources sector through reservoir revitalization and improvements in distribution networks, to ensure water availability for both domestic needs and hydropower operations".
The national weather agency previously noted that the atypical pattern of this year's dry season was linked to the end of a weak La Nina in February, which had transitioned to a neutral phase and might shift into El Nino by midyear.
The agency projects the dry season to peak in August across 61.4 percent of the country, with the peak arriving in July and September for other regions.
According to the BMKG, this year's dry season is expected to be drier than normal in 451 seasonal zones, or 64.5 percent, while a normal dry season is forecast for 245 zones (35.1 percent).
To anticipate parched conditions, the Agriculture Ministry is promoting a sustainable paddy irrigation technique called alternate wetting and drying (AWD). This could improve water use efficiency (WUE) by reducing irrigation water use as much as 20 percent without decreasing rice productivity, it says.
AWD was developed in 2009 by the International Rice Research Institute and adopted by the Agriculture Ministry in 2013.
"Alternate wetting and drying is an adaptive solution to limited water availability. With measured water management, farmers can maintain optimal crop conditions while reducing reliance on continuous flooding, making [crops] more resilient to drought risks," Fadjry Djufry, who heads the Agricultural Assembly and Modernization Agency (BRMP), said in a statement on Thursday.
"Based on testing over six planting seasons, this technique can reduce or even prevent water scarcity in rice fields. It can save irrigation water by 17 to 20 percent," Fadjry stated.
According to Ali Pramono, a BRMP analyst specializing in agriculture and environment, AWD works by regulating irrigation based on water level, meaning that rice fields are not continuously flooded.
In addition to improving water efficiency, Ali said the technique enhanced root conditions and soil structure, which in turn made crops more resilient to drought stress and potentially increased yields.
"AWD is not merely an irrigation technique but [also] part of a mitigation strategy that strengthens the resilience of rice production systems," he said.