Buleleng faces rice shortage

Singaraja: Once Bali’s most prolific rice producer, Buleleng regency is now suffering a rice shortage due to poor harvests.

Gede Dharmaja, head of Buleleng Agriculture and Husbandry Office, said the region had produced only 128,163 tons, which is 5,000 tons below the real demand of the residents.

Dharmaja spoke on the sidelines of harvesting at Subak Kubu Gembong.

The rice production from the regency’s eight districts is insufficient to meet the demand of the people.

The decreasing rice production was caused by rapid population growth, as well as an increase in residential areas.

“Hectares of fertile rice fields were transformed into business and housing facilities in the last few years,” he said.

The local administration has introduced a high-yield rice planting technique called tandur legowo satu to boost Buleleng’s rice production.

“However, we are not yet suffering from a food crisis. Our farmers are working hard to improve planting and harvest handling by applying modern farming technology,” he said.