The government must also be alert to the possibility of increases in rice prices.

The annual rainy season in most regions is expected to be delayed. The areas prone to forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra will only enter the rainy season in the middle and end of October.

The weather patterns across the country are showing contrasting conditions. Some regions are seeing an increase in the intensity of rainfall that has caused a hydro-meteorological disaster, but other areas are witnessing continued drought.

Wildfires continue to burn on the slopes of Mount Sindoro and Mount Sumbing in Central Java and on Mount Lawu in East Java. Firefighting efforts are to be maximized on Thursday (13/09/2018) with the use of water bombers.

So far rice fields affected by droughts have reached less than 15 percent of the total harvest areas, but the impact on rice production cannot be ignored. The Agriculture Ministry said paddy fields, which were affected by droughts, covered 134,790 hectares of total rice planting areas.

The area of rice fields affected by drought nationwide has increased sharply over the past two months, which will seriously affect food production. The government needs to anticipate the impact of the drought.