Irrigation strengthened amid El Nino to support food security: RI Govt
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is strengthening irrigation amid El Nino to keep farms supplied with water and safeguard food self-sufficiency through an integrated water infrastructure program, Deputy Public Works Minister Diana Kusumastuti said on Tuesday.
The Public Works and Agriculture ministries continue to map irrigation needs so water reaches farmland that needs support to raise productivity sustainably, Kusumastuti said.
"We have overseen it well, meaning together with the Agriculture Ministry, water matters are irrigation. And from the start with this irrigation, together with the Agriculture Ministry, wherever there is not yet water, we strive to provide it," Kusumastuti said after a regional infrastructure coordination meeting in Jakarta.
Water supply is the main factor in successful farm output, so building and upgrading irrigation networks remain a priority across Indonesia, she said.
The Public Works Ministry builds primary, secondary and tertiary irrigation channels to ensure water flows efficiently to productive farmland, she said.
The government is also implementing Presidential Instruction No. 2 of 2025, which guides faster irrigation upgrades within the authority of district and city governments, Kusumastuti said.
Under the instruction, the government aims to speed up irrigation rehabilitation and construction to strengthen food security and sustainably raise national farm output.
"So, this is our effort toward food self-sufficiency through strengthening those irrigation networks," Kusumastuti said.
The two ministries map irrigation needs jointly, based on land conditions, production potential and field water requirements, she said.
Their coordination also covers identifying areas needing irrigation development or new paddy field programs, so infrastructure support can be targeted more precisely.
Kusumastuti said the ministries will keep strengthening their cooperation to protect farm productivity and hasten food self-sufficiency.
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Translator: Harianto, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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