"Since the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that we will face extreme weather, several things have been prepared to deal with the effects of extreme weather and dry season," Assistant for Economy and Development at the Lampung provincial government Kusnardi said here on Monday.
According to him, one of the efforts made by the government for tackling the issue has been encouraging farmers in the province to accelerate planting so that the harvest can be expedited and the land preparation can be carried out faster.
He explained that in accelerating land preparation, planting, and harvesting, farmers are being encouraged to make the most of agricultural machinery.
"We encourage all farmers to utilize all resources and agricultural machinery. Therefore, the land work can be carried out more quickly and efficiently," he added.
He further informed that his party has continued to educate farmers to carry out the Save Water Movement in order to mitigate the impacts of the dry season.
"Here, we teach that water should be used sparingly. It does not need a lot (of water); just 5 centimeters is enough to irrigate the paddy fields," he said.
Another step that needs to be taken is increasing the Planting Index 400 (IP 400) program and improving the quality of seeds, he added.
"Currently, the use of genjah (rice) seeds, whose age is shorter, around 90 days, and the potential for harvest is quite high, reaching 10 tons of unhusked rice per hectare, is being boosted. The use of these genjah seeds can also support the improvement of IP400 for Lampung's agriculture," he said.
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Translator: Ruth Intan, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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