Autonomy Watch: Siak aims to raise rice production

Farmers in Siak regency, one of the largest producers of rice in Riau province, hope to completely fulfill the regency’s rice needs by the end of 2011.

Farmers have been encouraged to improve their knowledge of pests that threaten the regencies renowned rice production, Siak Regent Arwin AS said.

“Without the right measures, rice production will continue to decline, even though demand increases each year,” Arwin said during a training seminar.

Problems with pests have significantly decreased local rice production over the past three years, he added.

Pests affected some 600 hectares of rice fields in 2007, and the local harvest dropped by 540 tons.

Pests also attacked 925 hectares of rice fields in 2008.

“The rice production fell by 832 tons, causing Rp 2.2 billion in financial losses,” Arwin said.

Approximately 760 hectares of rice fields suffered harvest failures in 2009, cutting production by 684 tons and causing financial losses of Rp 1.8 billion, he said.

“Problems affecting farming productivity should be addressed immediately because harvest failures trigger price hikes,” Arwin said.

Siak regency’s rice fields measure around 6,700 hectares and are capable of producing 16,000 tons of rice per year.

Despite its status as one of the province’s biggest rice producers, Siak has struggled to meet the rice demands of its 313,000 people.

“Siak still needs 20,000 tons of rice each year. If we can’t immediately deal with the pest problems, our target to be rice self-sufficient by the end of 2011 will be difficult to realize,” Arwin said.

Apart from pests, Arwin also blamed Siak’s declining rice production on unpredictable weather patterns, which make it difficult for farmers to predict the start of the rainy season when they normally start planting rice.

“But we cannot give up. In order to boost rice production, the Siak regency administration has prepared several programs,” he said.

The administration’s programs involves setting aside more land for farming, rehabilitating neglected land and boosting the intensity of rice planting methods.

“We also plan to directly provide superior seedlings and fertilizer,” Arwin said.

Farmers hope that new knowledge and support will help them deal with their problems properly, Bungaraya farmer’s group chief Hartono said.

“Pest attacks always haunt farmers. Effective approaches to prevention are needed to minimize financial losses and maximize efforts to meet production targets,” Hartono said.

Hartono also asked the administration to deal with other problems, including improving supporting infrastructure and expanding the irrigation network.

“Most rice fields in Siak rely on rain for irrigation, meaning they experience water shortages during the dry season,” Hartono said.

He also hoped the administration could help farmers secure better prices for their harvest.

Many farmers were selling unhusked rice at low prices to businesspeople from outside the regency, he added.

“Prices will be higher if the rice is packed and marketed within the regency,” Hartono said.