Indonesian Govt Reveals Plans to Increase Domestic Rice Production Amid Shortage

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman claimed to have prepared a number of plans to up domestic rice production after the additional spending it proposed in 2023 failed to disburse. 

“We will take a budget refocusing step. We will divert the budget to a more productive means, [such as] purchasing seeds, since the rainy season has started,” he said on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024.

Amran explained that the budget refocusing will focus on three agendas. First, the Ministry of Agriculture will ensure the availability of subsidized fertilizers. The minister noted that on average, the requirement for subsidized fertilizers nationwide reached 9.55 million tons each year. However, the ministry’s budget only covered about 4.7 million tons this year. 

The availability will be strengthened with the additional budget proposed by President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, amounting to Rp14 trillion.

Second, the Ministry of Agriculture will boost pumping, the irrigation system which utilizes groundwater to water farms. Third, the ministry will also conduct land extensification of rice farms to swamps, especially outside of Java Island, such as South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan.

Meanwhile, Acting Head of Statistics Indonesia of BPS Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti said that rice production has shown a downward trend, “compared to the previous year throughout the September-December period with 0.06 million tons decrease”.

Meanwhile, from October to December 2023, rice production decreased by 0.59 million tons. Throughout 2023, BPS estimated the rice production decline to reach 0.65 million tons. The biggest rice deficit last year was recorded in December with 1.45 million tons.

YOHANES MAHARSO | RIANI SANUSI PUTRI

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