JAKARTA, June 23 — Most areas in Indonesia will see a shorter-than-expected dry season this year due to higher-than-normal precipitation thus far, the country’s weather agency said, which is expected to boost the rice crop in South-east Asia’s largest economy.

Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics agency previously predicted a normal dry season this year, beginning in April in most areas, reaching its peak in June until August.

“Our prediction shows that there was an anomaly of higher-than-normal precipitation... this becomes the main basis to predict the delayed dry season this year,” the agency’s head Dwikorita Karnawati said in a statement over the weekend.

The longer wet season is expected to benefit rice farmers because water supply would remain available, Dwikorita said, adding that, as of early June, only 19 per cent of the archipelago has seen the dry season begin.

Indonesia’s rice output in the January to July period is estimated to rise by 14.93 per cent annually to 21.76 million metric tonnes, the statistics bureau said. Indonesia targeted rice output to reach 32 million tons this year, higher than last year’s at 30.62 million tonnes.

Higher-than-normal rainfall is expected in the southern part of Sumatra island, Java island, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara provinces, Dwikorita said.

Some parts of Sumatra island and provinces in Borneo island would be the first to face the dry season, she added.

The agency urged all stakeholders, including local government, to plan for uncertain climate patterns due to climate change.

Heavy rain fell in some parts of Indonesia from January to March, the agency had said. Torrential rain in early March triggered floods of up to 3 metres in and around Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and forced thousands to be evacuated. — Reuters