Govt Prepares for 2026 El Niño, Rice Becomes Main Concern

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesian government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture, has prepared a number of measures to address the impacts of the ongoing dry season, or El Niño, which is predicted to last until early 2027. Expert Advisor to the Minister for Agricultural Production Development, Hasil Sembiring, conveyed this during a media briefing titled “Indonesia’s Food Security: Navigating Self-Sufficiency and Global Supply Chains” at the Government Communication Agency Office Auditorium in Jakarta on Monday, August 10, 2026.

Hasil said the threat of El Niño in Indonesia is very real after seeing with his own eyes the parched rice fields in Sulawesi a few days ago. He added that rice is the commodity most vulnerable to and affected by El Niño-induced drought, while corn and perennial crops are considered relatively more resilient to these climatic conditions.

“I just returned from Sulawesi a few days ago. Yes, there are some rice areas that are suffering from this. I don't see corn that much. Perennial crops, of course it's not. Perennial crops can stay in the field for a long time. But rice, I think, is almost the most susceptible one,” Hasil said.

As a quick response, Hasil noted that the government is relying on approximately 38,000 agricultural extension workers across Indonesia to report field conditions directly so that solutions can be provided promptly from the central government.

He stated, “How do we solve it? Like I said before, we also, of course, besides equipment, we also, as you know now, the Ministry of Agriculture has extension workers.”

Furthermore, Hasil noted that the Ministry of Agriculture has implemented several measures to prepare for El Niño. These measures include procuring 80,000 water pumps, repairing irrigation systems, using seeds of short-maturity rice, and collaborating with meteorological agencies to monitor the weather.

“Under the Minister of Agriculture, we are promoting many machines, like tractors, to speed up land cultivation, using the combine harvesters to speed up the harvesting, in order the farmers can plant as soon as possible, etc. So we are using it,” Hasil explained.