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Farmers mourn steep decline in crops
Farmers in Karo regency, North Sumatra, are suffering huge losses due to a drop in production and the falling prices of vegetables and fruits following the Mount Sinabung eruption
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armers in Karo regency, North Sumatra, are suffering huge losses due to a drop in production and the falling prices of vegetables and fruits following the Mount Sinabung eruption.
Depari farming community member Basmi Ginting said the volcanic ash had reduced yields for four consecutive harvest seasons. 'Before the eruption, I could yield up to 7 tons of corn per hectare. Now I only get 4 tons,' Basmi said during a farmers gathering recently.
He said the eruption had also affected the price of agricultural commodities, as farmers were often forced to sell crops at low prices.
He gave the example of corn, which now sold between Rp 2,000 (16 US cents) and Rp 2,200 per kilogram, compared to Rp 2,700 before the eruptions.
Basmi said farmers were also facing fertilizer shortages. When fertilizer was available, he added, it was overly priced.
'Who can afford to buy fertilizer at Rp 139,000 per bag when the condition of farmers is so low?' Basmi said, adding that normally, a bag of fertilizer sold for Rp 90,000.
He said farmers in Karo had yet to receive counseling from the local agriculture officers, nor had they received government assistance.
Resna Pelawi, 56, another farmer in Singgamanik village, said he had suffered harvest failures following the Mount Sinabung eruptions.
'I was frustrated, and at one point I wanted to stop being a farmer due to the continuous crop failures from volcanic ash. However, my family kept encouraging me, so I'm still surviving as a farmer,' said Resna, who cultivates corn on a three ha plot.
Karo regency has long been known as a center for corn production in North Sumatra.
Karo Agriculture Agency head Agustoni Tarigan said corn farms in Karo spanned 69,604 ha and had an annual production capacity of 425,994 tons. Agustoni acknowledged that conditions for farmers had deteriorated in the wake of the eruptions.
'Prices of commodities, including corn, have dropped. The condition has further worsened farmers' well-being here,' he said.
Earlier this year, the regency reported Rp 712.2 billion in crop losses since Mt. Sinabung's first eruption in September last year.
According to official data, 12,040 ha of agricultural land went arid due to the eruptions: 1,837 ha of food crops, 5,716 ha of horticulture crops, 1,630 ha of fruit crops, 1.7 ha of biopharmaceutical crops and 2,856 ha of plantations.
