Karawang, W Java, May 8 -- The government continues to install deep well pumps in rice farming areas vulnerable to water scarcity due to drought during the dry season to reduce risks of crop failure, President Joko Widodo stated.

"We install deep well pumps in crucial rice farming areas that we calculate will suffer from water scarcity," the president remarked after visiting the Pasar Baru traditional market in Karawang City, West Java, on Wednesday.

The government recorded 1.6 million tons of rice being stored in State Logistics Agency's (Bulog's) warehouses, according to the President, better known as Jokowi.

The current rice stock is higher than that of the previous one that stood at 1.2 million tons, he noted, adding that the gover...