Aceh Accelerates Rice Field Recovery: 23,000 Hectares Under Construction Contracts

Farmers in Aceh, Indonesia, are seeing renewed hope as the province intensifies efforts to restore agricultural lands devastated by floods and landslides in November 2025. Seven months after the disaster, a comprehensive program is underway, focusing on land optimization, rice field rehabilitation, irrigation system development, and the creation of farm access roads.

Governor Muzakir Manaf reported on the progress in a letter to the central government, detailing the ongoing coordination for post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction. Of the Rp 515.22 billion allocated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rp 231.27 billion, or 44.9 percent, has been realized. This funding is driving extensive physical work across Aceh.

A key initiative, the Land Optimization (OPLA) program, targets 27,071 hectares of affected rice fields in 16 districts. The planning phase, including surveys, investigations, and design, is nearly complete at 87.8 percent. Subsequently, 23,555 hectares have entered the construction contract phase with farmer groups, with physical construction already finished on 3,309 hectares. Land preparation is ongoing for another 360 hectares.

Rehabilitation efforts are also underway for rice fields with moderate damage, expanding the program's scope from an initial 4,393 hectares to a total of 13,781 hectares. Planning for the original 4,393 hectares is complete, and construction is finished, with further preparations for the expanded areas. Alongside land restoration, irrigation infrastructure is being rebuilt, showing strong financial progress at 57.7 percent of its Rp 147.48 billion budget. This includes the construction of 641 pumping irrigation units, 149 pipeline irrigation units, 45 conservation structures, and 300 tertiary irrigation networks, many of which are in the construction phase.