Fishermen in NTB face hardship due to extreme weather

Extreme weather in West Nusa Tenggara over the last few days has severely hit the pockets of 750 fisherfolk families in Kampung Bugis in Ampenan district, Mataram

Poor catches due to the impact of extreme weather have forced the fishermen to turn to loan sharks, who usually charge high interest rates, to survive. Others have had to pawn their valuables to make ends meet.

At least 250 boats laid idle on Kampung Bugis Beach. A handful of them had just returned from the sea empty-handed. “There are no fish at all. It has cost me Rp 150,000 (US$16.50) in fuel,” said Sapri, 47, getting out of his boat.

Many other fishermen chose to remain on land after strong winds caused high waves, while others decided not to go out to sea at night and changed their fishing schedule to daylight hours.

Sapri, for example, started to fish at 5 a.m. and returned at 11:45 a.m. without catching anything.

“I had to borrow money to buy fuel but got nothing in return. Two days ago I spent the money my wife got from pawning her jewelry. If it’s like this tomorrow, I will have to borrow again,” he said.

Another fisherman, Tahar, 55, said he had forced himself to go to sea because he had no other choice. But the fish seemed to have disappeared. “This year’s weather is a bit strange. Usually, despite the strong winds, we can still catch fish,” he said.

The fishermen fear that if the condition persists, they will face further hardship.

They expressed hope that the government would take measures to help them. “We’re badly in need of basic needs like rice and cooking oil. We desperately need help,” Tahar said.

Onion farmers in Bantul, Yogyakarta, are not faring much better. Extreme weather in the regency has severely damaged their crops.

It has been raining heavily since Jan. 1. “Between downpours, it is very hot during the day, causing the plants to wither,” Daryanto, an onion farmer in Tagalsari, Sanden.

The extremes in whether, from wet to hot, have resulted in the spread of fungus, which causes the roots to rot.

“Our onions died within just three days. Nothing is left,” he said.

“The current weather is unpredictable. In previous years, we could plant onions without any problem,” said another farmer, Sarjiman.

There are more than 100 hectares of onion and vegetable farms in the area, where onion farmers have suffered Rp 6 million in losses on every 2,500 square meter of farmland.