JAKARTA (Suara Karya) Farmers in Indonesia are currently confused and worried due to climate change. Therefore, the central and regional governments are asked to provide appropriate socialization to farmers to anticipate climate change.

Indonesian Farmers Harmony Association (HKTI) advisor Siswono Yudo Husodo said that farmers are currently confused because of climate change. Therefore, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) must be able to predict the weather well and precisely.

""Skita farmers are traditional farmers who know that the rainy season is October-April and the dry season is April-October. However, until now (June), it is still raining in some places,"" said Siswono, who is also a member of Commission IV of the House of Representatives, in Jakarta, Sunday (1/8). Siswono, who is also a former Chairman of HKTI and Chairman of the HKTI Organizational Advisory Board (BPO), was appointed as an Advisor to HKTI led by Oesman Sapta Odang.

According to Siswono, the threat of climate change, which has been feared by many parties since the last few years, has begun to occur. However, the ones who suffer the most from climate change are farmers, because they are very dependent on climate certainty. Many farmers have suffered losses due to this climate change.

With these changes, cultivation and agricultural processes that depend on weather conditions need to make adjustments. For this reason, BMKG must be able to predict climate and weather well. BMKG must also be able to socialize its forecasts well to farmers.

If the BMKG is not able to forecast well, then farmers will find it difficult to plant. This is because there are plants that require water at the beginning and not at harvest time or vice versa. There are also plants that are suitable for planting in the rainy season only and some are suitable in the dry season only.

For example, currently there are many crop failures of agricultural products in various regions because they are still experiencing the rainy season, such as the harvest of chilies and fruits and several other commodities have failed, resulting in scarcity and soaring prices.

When asked whether the recent increase in prices of food and agricultural commodities benefited farmers, Siswono said, farmers who succeeded in harvesting might get more profit, but farmers who failed to harvest would definitely lose. But, even if it is profitable, farmers can only enjoy it once a year.

""So it cannot be generalized. Chili farmers who fail to harvest, of course, lose. However, farmers who can harvest can make a big profit, because the price can reach above Rp 50,000 per kilogram. But, this is also enjoyed by farmers only once a year, "he said.

Previously, related to siding with farmers, HKTI Daily Chairman Sutrisno Iwantono asked the government to form a bank that specifically handles agricultural issues. This is realized so that farmers' access to capital is easier. ""An agricultural bank needs to be formed so that farmers can buy facilities for production,"" he said.

In the past, according to him, there was actually a BRI that was formed with the aim of helping farmers and fishermen. However, when BRI is no longer focused on taking care of agriculture. So, if necessary, a new bank should be created to take care of agriculture. (Andrian)