REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Floods that stuck several parts of Indonesia in recent days might threaten domestic food supplies, according to the chief of the Indonesian Farmers and Fishermen Association (KTNA), Winarno Thohir. The government should assist these farmers by providing them with seeds and fertilizers, he said. 

"We should not underestimate the impact of large floods in Java, which supplies 60 percent of the nations food needs," he said on Saturday.

Winarno estimated that 250,000 hectares of paddy fields nationwide were inundated during recent floods. The floods which struck early this year were larger than those in previous years, he noted.

In the past, widespread flooding struck East Java. In 2014, several parts of Java, Sulawesi and Sumatra were flooded, Winarno said. The floods had caused huge losses to farmers, he added.

"Much of the rice plantings have been flooded for more than three days now. If that is the case, the rice plants will not be strong and farmers will suffer losses," he said. 

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