“We could only release this data after verifying and evaluating the farmers’ rice fields affected by the floods,” Acting Head of the Mataram City Agriculture Office Irwan Harimansyah said in Mataram on Wednesday.
He informed that during the 14-day emergency response period after the floods struck, the focus was on handling and rescuing affected residents.
After that, the transition to the recovery phase began, when data on the impact of the flood, including on the 110 hectares of rice fields, was collected and verified.
“Around 110 hectares of rice fields were submerged, causing significant losses and threatening crop failure for farmers,” he said.
He added that Sandubaya and Sekarbela Sub-districts were the worst-affected.
In Mandalika Village, Sandubaya Sub-district, a total of 53.85 hectares of agricultural land was affected by flooding caused by the collapse of an irrigation channel embankment.
In Dasan Cermen Village, flooding inundated approximately 23.20 hectares of land. Meanwhile, in Bertais Village, one hectare of newly planted rice was damaged, with losses estimated at Rp10 million (around US$609). The saplings had been planted just seven days before the flood.
The remaining areas were in Sekarbela Sub-district.
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“We have recorded all affected areas, including reports from extension workers in the field,” he said.
However, farmers affected by the floods will not be compensated by the Agriculture Office due to the absence of a budget for disaster-related losses.
“From the beginning, we have always encouraged farmers to participate in agricultural insurance programs to anticipate losses due to unforeseen circumstances,” Harimansyah said.
The Rice Farming Insurance Program (AUTP), managed by Asuransi Jasindo, offers coverage against crop failure due to natural disasters, pest attacks, and plant diseases.
The program has been socialized to farmers, but the level of participation is still considered low.
This is partly due to a lack of farmer awareness on the importance of insurance.
With increasingly unpredictable weather, the risk of crop failure is rising.
“If a disaster occurs, farmers are already prepared with insurance, so their burden will be lighter. But unfortunately, many farmers are still reluctant to register,” he explained.
Although farmers will not receive compensation, they will still get basic food assistance or other necessities from the Social Services Agency.
“For basic needs assistance, we coordinate with the Social Services Agency,” he informed.
Learning from the flood, Harimansyah added, his agency has again appealed to farmers to register for agricultural insurance programs, both individually and in groups.
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Translator: Arie Novarina
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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