El Nino's Impact on Indonesian Agriculture during the Rainy Season

According to BMKG, Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, the moderate to strong El Nino phenomenon is not expected to significantly impact the country's national agricultural activities during the onset of the rainy season.

Deputi Bidang Klimatologi BMKG Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan stated that the influence of El Nino on the wet period is only a slight decrease in the accumulation of rainfall, relatively speaking.

"The normal climatological condition is that the rainy season affected by El Nino tends to decrease slightly. However, the decrease is still substantial, and it won't be a major concern for agricultural activities that require a lot of rainfall," Ardhasena explained.

He added that although the official release of the comprehensive rainy season forecast is scheduled for August, the movement of rainwater supply is expected to gradually begin to irrigate western Indonesia as early as October.

Based on the monthly analysis of the Direktortat Klimatologi BMKG, most of the Sumatra Island area, from the western side to the Jambi and South Sumatra regions, are already in the rainy season in October, followed by other regions in November.

Ardhasena assured that the rainy season will provide an opportunity for drought-stricken areas in the country to recover, with the rain supply expected to be abundant by the end of the year. In December, the intensity of rainfall in most parts of Indonesia will reach the medium to high category.

As a result, BMKG has advised farmers and relevant stakeholders not to panic and to continue to utilize official climate information channels to develop optimal planting strategies.

"So, to sum it up, in December, most parts of Indonesia will experience heavy rainfall, categorized as medium to high," Ardhasena emphasized.