The Cost of Waiting for Rain

GARISBUMI.com – October is already underway, but the news about rain makes us wait a little longer.

Hearing predictions that the rainy season would be delayed, I asked Rajudin, a Radar Banten journalist who is usually called Raju, to contact farmers in the north of Serang Regency. Precisely in Pontang District. Raju is from Pontang and knows many farmers there. I want to know what the news from BMKG sounds like when it reaches the rice fields.

From Pahid Hadi, a farmer in Kampung Linduk, the answer is simple: capital increases.

Irrigation water is running low. In order for the rice to continue to receive water, the diesel pump engine must work. The machine is not given enough hope that it will rain soon. It needs fuel.

"Farming in the dry season clearly increases capital costs, because we have to pump water using a diesel engine so that the rice fields are well-irrigated," said Pahid, Sunday (11/10/2026).

The 36 year old farmer had experienced less than optimal harvests in the previous dry season. Limited water, pests also attack. Having spent more money, the results are not necessarily more.

In the rice fields, working harder is sometimes just enough to keep losses from being too great.

Not far from there, in Panecekan Village, Kubang Puji Village, Aryanto faced a similar problem. The rice fields are cracked. Some farmers choose to leave their land fallow. Understandable. Planting requires capital, while it is not clear where the water will come from.