Indonesia moves to protect West Java rice output before the dry season
Indonesia says it is strengthening water access, pumping and seed support in West Java to protect rice production ahead of a potentially longer and drier 2026 dry season.
Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry and the West Java provincial government say they are taking pre-emptive steps to keep rice production at an optimal level before the 2026 dry season intensifies. ANTARA reported that the preparations target the April-to-October period, when weather conditions are expected to become longer and drier than usual. That matters nationally because West Java remains one of Indonesia's key food reserve areas and a major contributor to rice supply stability.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the main focus is to strengthen water availability and seed support so rice production can be maintained and food supply kept secure. In practice, that means combining infrastructure measures with direct production support rather than waiting for the seasonal stress to hit. The government's framing is clear: water management and input support have to work together if farmers are to keep output stable through a difficult climate window.
West Java's importance is tied to scale. The report says the province has around 900,772 hectares of paddy fields, giving it a strategic role in maintaining national rice production stability. Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency, BRIN, has warned that this year's dry season could be longer and drier, especially across western and southern parts of the country. Any serious production setback in West Java would therefore have implications well beyond one province.
To reduce that risk, the ministry, local governments and other stakeholders have prepared a package of anticipatory measures. These include strengthening agricultural irrigation networks, optimizing pumping systems and making better use of non-swamp land. The government is also distributing rice seed assistance to help maintain productivity under climate pressure. Sulaiman stressed that water is the decisive factor and said irrigation reinforcement, pumping capacity and seed support must move in parallel if farmers are to continue producing at an optimal level.
The minister said coordinated action should help maintain, and potentially improve, rice production and productivity in West Java despite climate-related challenges. ANTARA also noted that the government has linked food security to broader sector reform, saying 13 presidential regulations in agriculture have been issued while about 500 internal regulations judged to be obstacles to national farm programs have been revoked. That combination of infrastructure, seed support and regulatory change shows Indonesia is trying to defend rice output through both field-level action and wider policy adjustment before the dry season peaks.