JAKARTA: Fuel shortages are threatening crops in North Sumatra, where farmers say they cannot obtain enough subsidised diesel to power irrigation pumps as the dry season intensifies.
Misno, a farmer in Gelam Sei Serimah village, Serdang Bedagai regency, North Sumatra, said he had struggled to irrigate his rice fields over the past two months as the dry season had reduced water availability.
"We have tried drawing water from the nearby Padang River and using tidal water with pumps, but it has not been enough because we have struggled to obtain diesel to keep the pumps running," Misno told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
He said subsidised diesel had become increasingly difficult to obtain in recent weeks, forcing farmers to buy fuel at around Rp 10,000 (61 US cents) per litre, about 30 per cent higher than state energy giant Pertamina’s subsidized price.
"Farmers are suffering. Our rice fields are already drying up because of the ongoing dry season, and on top of that, we are also struggling to get the diesel needed to run our irrigation pumps," he said.
Gelam Sei Serimah village farmers’ group leader Williwono Harianja warned that the combined impact of diesel shortages and declining water levels could leave farmers across the village facing widespread crop failures.
"The risk is very high because farmers are still struggling to obtain diesel, while river water levels continue to decline as the dry season persists," Williwono said.
Compounding the problem, the village’s irrigation channels, constructed by the government in 2012, have fallen into disrepair, with widespread leaks and structural damage significantly reducing the flow of water to farmers’ fields.
"Rehabilitating the irrigation channels is an urgent priority so that the facilities built by the government can function properly and provide maximum benefits, especially during the dry season," he said.
North Sumatra was hit by widespread fuel shortages last week, forcing motorists to endure lines stretching up to 13km outside filling stations. Some drivers even had to wait overnight as stations ran out of fuel supplies.
Authorities have offered conflicting explanations for the shortages. State-owned energy company Pertamina attributed the disruption to a spike in fuel demand following the end of the school vacations, while North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution blamed the shortages on mass layoffs among Pertamina fuel tanker drivers
Although fuel supplies have gradually returned to normal, several filling stations are still unable to serve customers due to depleted stocks, particularly of subsidised diesel and Pertalite gasoline.
Indonesia is expected to face a longer dry season this year as the impacts of El Nino intensify, bringing drier conditions from the Pacific Ocean to the archipelago.
As of late July, more than two-thirds of the country had entered the dry season, with most regions forecast to experience below-normal rainfall for the remainder of the year, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
In recent weeks, farmers across Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and parts of Sumatra have suffered crop losses, particularly affecting rice and corn, as prolonged dry conditions have caused severe drought and depleted water supplies.
In East Java, 14 regencies have declared drought emergency status, with thousands of residents struggling to access reliable water supplies amid the prolonged dry spell. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
