Erratic rains and rising temperatures hit harvests.

As dark clouds gather in the morning sky, apple farmer Ali Akhbar hurries to finish spraying pesticides onto his trees before yet another afternoon downpour.

It is officially the start of the dry season in East Java, but non-stop rains have caused havoc for thousands of apple growers like Akhbar again this year — upsetting the flowering season, damaging blossoms and shrinking harvests.

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The unseasonable weather has also caused an increase in pests and diseases, forcing some growers to take out loans to keep up with the surging cost of pesticides to ensure years of work do not go to waste.

"It's so difficult now — the weather is unpredictable," Akhbar, 49, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at Andonosari village in East Java, which is home to the country's largest apple orchards.

He used to spray pesticides on his crops once a week but has to do it twice weekly now and uses more potent chemicals.

After years of similarly unpredictable weather, “disappointing harvests are barely enough to cover farmers' production costs”, said Akhbar.

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