Indonesian sugarcane production forecast to fall ~25% on El Niño

JAKARTA, Sept 21 (Reuters) — The Indonesian smallholder sugarcane farmers association APTRI said on Monday that sugar cane production was expected to drop by around 25% this year due to dry weather conditions and wildfires. "El Niño is strongly affecting our crops, we are experiencing drought," group chairperson Soemitro Samadikoen said in a hearing with members of parliament. Some sugarcane farmers also saw their crops affected by wildfires due to the dry conditions, APTRI official Mulyadi added. Indonesia produced 39.07 million tons of sugarcane in 2025, Agriculture Ministry data showed. Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years as "super El Niño" weather drives up temperatures and causes droughts. (Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by David Stanway) ((fransiska.nangoy@tr.com;)