Jakarta, March 15 -- The Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to use adaptive rice varieties to anticipate potential droughts, as the 2026 dry season is predicted to arrive early.

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has instructed all regional governments to take immediate anticipatory measures, ranging from mapping drought-prone areas to strengthening early warning systems.

"Farmers need to utilize early-maturing and drought-resistant varieties, such as Inpago 4-13, Inpari 38-46, Situbagendit, Situpatenggang, Padjadjaran, Cakrabuana, or other similar varieties, to maintain production levels during the dry season," he said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday.

In addition, the ministry is promoting optimized water managem...