REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's rice production is predicted to fall short of requirement in 2015 if the government failed to control urbanization of farmlands and in opening new rice fields.

Secretary of the National Water Resources Council (DSDAN) Adang Saf Ahmad said currently urbanization of farmland reached 100,000 hectares per year.

In 2017, the country's rice production is predicted to decline and in 2025, there would be a deficit in supply unless new rice fields are opened, Adang told a panel discussion in Jakarta Food Security Summit -3 on Friday.

He said in 2013, an increase in rice production was proportional with an increase in consumption , but in 2017, the production would fall while consumption would continue to rise.

In 2015, the country's rice production is predicted to reach 70.61 million tons in dry unhulled rice , but the rate of urbanization of farmlands is still high.

Currently irrigated rice fields total 7.1 million hectares and 53 percent of which are in good condition with the rest less productive.

"New irrigated rice fields need to be built in order to maintain increase in rice production. In addition, the irrigation system need repair," Adang said.

He said without concrete action, rice production would fall to 66.02 million tons in 2017 to 58.63 million tons in 2025 as against consumption of 70.7 million tons or a deficit of 12.1 million tons.

Adang said in Sumatra productivity is high and there are wide potential land for rice field; in Java, the productivity is high but there is low potential for expansion.

In Kalimantan there are ample lands for expansion but the productivity is moderate.

In Java , where the productivity is high expansion of rice field could be made by as wide as 62,300 hectares. Kalimantan has 3.69 million hectares of potential land for expansion but the productivity is relatively low.

"Potential expansion with high productivity is in Sumatra, where expansion could be made with 3.9 million hectares," Adang said.

Therefore, irrigation system needs to be expanded with more dams to irrigate new rice field especially in dry season, he said.

In 2015, the government plans to build 65 dams and irrigation systems for 1 million hectares of rice fields to be expanded to 3 million hectares in 2019.

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