UDIN, a rice farmer in the West Java district of Subang, suffered a big loss this harvest season. His farm produced only a quarter of the amount of rice he used to produce before. Its price dropped to a half and wereng (rice plant hoppers) destroyed much of the crop. The 65-year-old was resting in a bamboo shelter when Tempo visited him at Desa Balebandung on Thursday two weeks ago. “This season’s harvest was a real disaster,” he said.

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