Indonesia
Archipelago
North Sumatra was hit by widespread fuel shortages last week, forcing motorists to endure lines stretching up to 13 kilometers outside filling stations. Some drivers even had to wait overnight as stations ran out of fuel supplies.
A farmer applies urea fertilizer to drought-affected rice plants in Handapherang village, Ciamis regency, West Java, on June 10, 2026. Prolonged dry conditions have left around 12 hectares of rice fields, planted between 14 days and one month ago, struggling for water as the dry season intensifies. (Antara/Adeng Bustomi)
Fuel shortages are threatening crops in North Sumatra, where farmers say they cannot obtain enough subsidized diesel to power irrigation pumps as the dry season intensifies.Misno, a farmer in Gelam Sei Serimah village, Serdang Bedagai regency, North Sumatra, said he had struggled to irrigate his rice fields over the past two months as the dry season had reduced water availability.
