Jakarta – The government continues to strengthen anticipatory measures for the 2026 dry season to maintain stable national food production. Various efforts are being made, including strengthening water infrastructure, providing superior seeds, modernizing agriculture, and improving coordination with local governments.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi, emphasized that the food sector plays a strategic role in maintaining national resilience and sovereignty. Therefore, the government is ensuring that various production strengthening programs continue amidst the challenges of climate change.
“Food is not just a basic need, but a strategic national necessity. Protecting food means safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty and future,” said Suwandi.
He explained that in accordance with President Prabowo Subianto’s direction, the agricultural sector is an important part of the national development agenda, including to support food self-sufficiency, the Free Nutritional Meal Program (MBG), biofuel development, and agricultural downstreaming.
According to Suwandi, Indonesia is entering this year’s dry season better prepared than in previous periods.
Various programs have been implemented, ranging from land optimization, rice field printing, pumping irrigation construction, to providing superior seeds that are more resistant to drought conditions.
He also emphasized that this year’s climate conditions are different from the strong El Niño phenomena that occurred in 2015 and 2023.
Based on BMKG and NOAA satellite data, the dry season is expected to occur under more controlled conditions.
“Therefore, what needs to be done is to increase vigilance and preparedness, not to create excessive worry,” he said.
However, the Ministry of Agriculture remains vigilant, considering that the period from July to September is the peak of the dry season.
Since the beginning of the year, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman has instructed local governments to strengthen drought mitigation measures by mapping vulnerable areas, improving irrigation networks, normalizing water channels, and optimizing reservoirs and dams.
“We’re asking the regions to map areas that are prone to drought so that rescue measures can be implemented more quickly and precisely,” said Suwandi.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Teuku Faisal Fathani, warned that the 2026 dry season is expected to be drier than normal. He stated that Indonesia has the potential to experience an El Niño phenomenon, which could affect rainfall in various regions.
“We’ve been saying since March that an El Niño phenomenon would occur this year. Then, on June 2, the WMO also announced that an El Niño event would occur in 2026,” he said.