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View all search resultsNorth Sumatra farmers face fuel shortages as drought takes hold
North Sumatra was hit by widespread fuel shortages last week, forcing motorists to endure lines stretching up to 13 kilometers outside filling stations. Some drivers even had to wait overnight as stations ran out of fuel supplies.
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A farmer applies urea fertilizer to drought-affected rice plants in Handapherang village, Ciamis regency, West Java, on June 10, 2026. Prolonged dry conditions have left around 12 hectares of rice fields, planted between 14 days and one month ago, struggling for water as the dry season intensifies. (Antara/Adeng Bustomi)
F
uel shortages are threatening crops in North Sumatra, where farmers say they cannot obtain enough subsidized diesel to power irrigation pumps as the dry season intensifies.
Misno, a farmer in Gelam Sei Serimah village, Serdang Bedagai regency, North Sumatra, said he had struggled to irrigate his rice fields over the past two months as the dry season had reduced water availability.
"We have tried drawing water from the nearby Padang River and using tidal water with pumps, but it has not been enough because we have struggled to obtain diesel to keep the pumps running," Misno told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
He said subsidized diesel had become increasingly difficult to obtain in recent weeks, forcing farmers to buy fuel at around Rp 10,000 (61 US cents) per liter, about 30 percent higher than state energy giant Pertamina’s subsidized price.
"Farmers are suffering. Our rice fields are already drying up because of the ongoing dry season, and on top of that, we are also struggling to get the diesel needed to run our irrigation pumps," he said.
Gelam Sei Serimah village farmers’ group leader Williwono Harianja warned that the combined impact of diesel shortages and declining water levels could leave farmers across the village facing widespread crop failures.
"The risk is very high because farmers are still struggling to obtain diesel, while river water levels continue to decline as the dry season persists," Williwono said.
