"We will soon record the overall area of flooded rice fields."
Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Floods that affected Kulonprogo district, Yogyakarta province, recently caused at least Rp3.24 billion in losses to the agricultural sector, a local official said.

Head of the Kulonprogo district agriculture and forestry office Bambang Tri Budi said on Sunday the floods affected 104 hectares of rice fields found in the sub-districts of Temon, Panjatan, Lendah, Sentolo, Wates and Galur.

"Currently, Kulonprogo is entering the second planting season. Most of rice plants is aged between 10 and 20 days. The area of flooded rice field reached 104 hectares, with an average loss of Rp3 million per hectare," he said.

He said the area of flooded paddy fields during the second planting season in Panjatan District alone covered 15 hectares of rice plant aged 30 days in Bulak Kemendung, 16 hectares of rice plants aged 32 days in Bulak Tayuban, 20 hectares of rice plant aged 30 days in Bulak Krembangan, and 16 hectares of rice plants aged 32 days in Cerme.

The area of rice field submerged by flood water in Wates sub-district covered eight hectares of rice plants aged 34 days in Bulak Bendungan, 10 hectares of rice plants aged 34 days in Bulak Slogan and 8 hectares of rice field in Bulak Karangwuni.

The area of rice field in Sentolo inundated by flood covered 20 hectares in Srikayangan, 20 hectares in Dermangrejo and Karangsewu, 29 hectares in Tirtorahayu, and 17 hectares in Temon.

"There are other sub-districts, such as Lendah that do not report the area of flooded rice field. We continue to monitor, because rains still continue to fall in Kulonprogo," he said.

He said the local government will ask the Agriculture Ministry to compensate local farmers for the losses caused by floods.

Kulonprogo farmers have spent a sum of money on the rice plants including fertilizer and cultivation costs. These losses only come from rice plants because farmers in Galur sub-district are raising rice seedlings which are now aged 10 days for hundreds of hectares of paddy field.

"We will soon record the overall area of flooded rice fields. We will immediately apply for compensations to the Ministry of Agriculture. We sincerely hope that farmers would get compensation in the form of seeds and fertilizers," he said.
(U.S038/S012)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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