Jakarta, July 28 -- Indonesia has stepped up measures to mitigate El Nino risks, drawing on previous experience as the government seeks to protect rice supplies and national food security, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said Tuesday.

"Our preparations did not start this year but have been underway since President Prabowo Subianto's administration began," Sulaiman said at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta.

The measures followed a severe El Nino that drove Indonesia's rice imports to seven million tons during 2023-2024, he said.

The government has distributed 100,000 water pumps, repaired 900,000 hectares of irrigation networks with the Public Works Ministry and prepared drought-resistant rice seeds.

It is also optimi...