More than 2,520 hectares of rice fields in 20 sub-district areas failed causing an estimated loss of Rp11 billion to the farmers, Dede Supriatna, head of the Lebak agriculture office, said in Rangkasbitung on Monday.
Worst hit areas are the sub-districts of Wanasalam, Cihara, Malingping, Gunungkencana, Cikulur, Cileles, Warunggunung, Rangkasbitung, Cibadak, Cimarga, Kalanganyar, Muncang, Leuwidamar, and Cirinten.
"We have reported the problem to Agriculture Ministry hoping for immediate aid for the farmers," he said.
Currently the farmers in the regency badly need seeds and fertilizer to start planting again in October when rain is expected to fall, he said.
The sub-district areas are vulnerable to harvest failure as they have few water resources that would soon dry up in dry season, he said.
Dede, however, said there is no report yet of food shortage in the district .
Lebak is one of 183 regencies categorized as backward areas in the country.
The state minister for development of backward areas has pledged to improve the welfare of 50 of the backward regencies in the country to bring them level with other areas in five years.
The Association of Economically Backward Regencies (ASKATI) said that Rp100 billion are needed to accelerate development of each backward districts in the country.
The fund is needed to boost development in the districts to allow them to catch up with other areas, Mulyadi Jayabaya, the regent of Lebak and chairman of the association has said.
Mulyadi said the deadline for the five year program is only two years away in 2014 but not much headway has been made.
He said many of the districts categorized as backward are richer in natural resources than other more developed regions but the potentials are yet untapped.
"We will continue the campaigns for priority to be given to backward districts to eliminate poverty in the country," Mulyadi said.
Around 57.7 million of the country`s population of 240 million live in 43,200 villages in the 183 backward regencies, Mulyiadi said.
Most of the backward regencies are in Sumatra and eastern part of the country.
(H-ASG/H-YH)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
