Back from the Floods: Langsa’s Rice Fields Harvest Again as Planted Area Beats Target

LANGSA — Rice fields in Langsa, Aceh, that were hit by floods are golden once again. The Aceh provincial government and the Langsa city government held the 2026 Rice Harvest Movement on 105 hectares of paddy fields in Alue Pineung Timue Village, East Langsa District, on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.

Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf was represented by Azanuddin Kurnia, acting head of the Aceh Agriculture and Plantation Office. Also present were Langsa Mayor Jeffry Sentana S. Putra, Langsa council speaker Melvita Sari, Langsa Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Hyrowo, Langsa District Attorney head Adi Tyogunawan, military officials, village heads, and leaders of farmer group associations.

Harvesting on Disaster-Hit Land

This harvest was special because it took place on land previously affected by the hydrometeorological disaster of late 2025. Across Aceh, the disaster affected around 57,107 hectares of rice fields.

“What we are harvesting today is land that was lightly damaged by the disaster.”

Azanuddin Kurnia, Acting Head of the Aceh Agriculture and Plantation Office

To restore the fields in Alue Pineung Timue, the government provided land optimization covering 73.47 hectares, 2,625 kg of rice seed, 11,888 kg of urea, 18,680 kg of NPK fertilizer, 7,500 kg of MG fertilizer, three pump irrigation units, and one tertiary irrigation network rehabilitation. Farmers also received cucumber seeds, horticulture fertilizer, and hand sprayers. Overall, Langsa received rice seed aid for 1,025 hectares of flood-affected land.

Planted Area Beats Target

In more good news, Langsa’s rice planting area in 2026 reached 1,872 hectares, exceeding its target of 1,556 hectares. For this achievement, the city received an award at the 2027 Indicative Crop Targets Workshop in Banda Aceh on 12 October 2026.

“This harvest is a symbol of local and national food security,” said Langsa Mayor Jeffry Sentana S. Putra.

Speeding Up Aceh’s Field Recovery

In the governor’s speech, read by Azanuddin, food security was described as a key pillar of regional development and public welfare. The Aceh government has allocated 14,715 hectares for rice area development and 970 hectares for maize.

Around 40,852 hectares of lightly to moderately damaged rice fields in Aceh are still being restored in two phases, through land optimization and rehabilitation. Supporting infrastructure is also under way, from pump and piped irrigation and tertiary irrigation networks to conservation structures and farm roads. As of 26 October 2026, 62.1 percent of Aceh’s field recovery budget had been disbursed.

For farmers in East Langsa, the harvest is more than a ceremony. It is a sign that their fields have recovered from disaster and are once again feeding their families and supporting regional food security.

Summarized from The Jurnal, Analisa Daily, Dialeksis, and Puja TV Aceh (in Indonesian).