Climate Anomaly Threatens N Sumatera Agricultural Production

Balige, North Sumatra - Recent weather anomalies have cast a cloud on agricultural production in Toba Samosir district, North Sumatra, as local farmers bear the brunt of failed crops. "This natural phenomenon often leads to crop failure. At a time when water is needed for the paddy fields, we are experiencing dry weather," said Roganda Simanjuntak, a local Study Group and Community Development Initiative staff member, here on Wednesday. "Based on our observations of some villages in the Laguboti and Uluan sub-districts, which have suffered total crop failure, about 80 percent of the paddy fields there have been damaged," he noted. Roganda pointed out that rice was the staple food for people in the region and such weather anomalies had a severe impact on its production. "In recent months, the weather has been erratic and unpredictable. Sometimes the temperature is very high, while other times there is heavy rainfall,¿ he explained. "Weather anomalies lead to downpours during the dry season and dry weather when rainfall is needed," Roganda said. Such weather conditions, he added, have a negative impact on the growth of plants, eventually leading to to disease outbreaks and crop failures. (*)