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armers in Cirebon regency, West Java, have demanded that the central government develop and renovate agricultural infrastructure following the fuel-price hike, as it had previously promised.

'€œThe development and renovation of agricultural infrastructure is part of the government'€™s promise to offset the rise in fuel prices,'€ chairman of the Cirebon branch of the Andalan Farmers and Fishermen'€™s Group (KTNA), Sa'€™adi, said.

'€œIt is imperative the government does this immediately because a large part of the agricultural infrastructure in Cirebon is not functioning due to damage and old age.'€

He added that the damaged facilities included irrigation networks and water retention sites, such as reservoirs.

'€œFarmers also expect other forms of compensation following the subsidized-fuel increase, such as a supply of fertilizers at affordable prices. Farmers need this more than the BLSM [temporary direct cash assistance] payments,'€ he said.

The Cirebon regency administration also agreed that the development and improvement of agricultural infrastructure was important.

Cirebon Livestock and Agriculture Agency head, Ali Effendi, said a large number of infrastructural facilities was not functioning optimally due to damage.

'€œAbout 60 percent of the 60-kilometer irrigation network in Cirebon is severely damaged, while the rest is not functioning at its best due to old age, so it is very hard to increase productivity,'€ he said.

Ali added that at least 20,000 hectares of rice fields in the north of the regency were prone to drought during the dry season. He was upbeat, however, that water shortages would be remedied when the Jatigede Dam in Sumedang regency began operating in 2014.

The dam, whose construction was started in 2008, will hold back water from the Cimanuk River. It is estimated the collected water will be able to irrigate 90,000 hectares of rice fields in northern areas of Cirebon and Indramayu regencies.

In Cirebon regency, drought-prone farmland covers 11 districts, namely Kapetakan; Suranenggala; Gunung Jati; Arjawinangun; Susukan; Gegesik; Pabedilan; Panguragan; Ciwaringin; Mundu, and Kecamatan Gebang.

Overcoming drought, added Ali, would further strengthen Cirebon regency as one of West Java'€™s prime rice producers. The regency has 50,000 hectares of paddies that produce 570,000 tons of unhusked rice or 350,000 tons of rice.

Tasiman, a farmer in Mundu, said every dry season he had to rent a pump to draw water, costing between Rp 20,000 (US$2) and Rp 30,000 per hour, so his 1-hectare rice field could be irrigated.

'€œWe have to rent a pump for at least six hours a day to water the rice field to prevent harvest failure. For farmers, renting a pump adds to their financial burden, with cultivation costs of between Rp 4 million and
Rp 5 million per hectare,'€ he said.