President Prabowo Subianto appears to be highly committed to his vision of making Indonesia more self-sufficient in the food sector.
By 2028 or 2029, Prabowo aims for Indonesia to achieve food self-sufficiency, enabling the country to meet its own needs without imports.
To achieve this goal, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan has discussed with the President the programs that need to be implemented over the next few years.
Initial Steps Focused on Agriculture
The IDR 139 trillion food budget for 2025 will be allocated across several ministries.
“It’s distributed to the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the State-Owned Enterprises involved in fertilizer production, village funds, and local governments,” said Zulkifli Hasan.
The budget also includes funding for a program to develop 150 hectares of new rice fields and intensify the cultivation of 80,000 hectares of existing fields, with a total budget allocation of IDR 15 trillion.
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Challenges to Achieving Food Self-Sufficiency
Funding alone is not enough; several challenges need to be addressed to achieve food self-sufficiency by 2028.
One major issue is land conversion, where increasing amounts of agricultural land are being repurposed for non-agricultural use.
To realize food self-sufficiency within four years, the government must prepare more land for rice fields.
Additionally, integrated policies and programs must be developed to facilitate the agricultural process.
Unequal distribution of logistics has also contributed to depressed agricultural commodity prices during harvest seasons. Addressing this is crucial for improving farmers’ welfare.
Optimism for Achieving Food Self-Sufficiency
Despite the numerous challenges in achieving food self-sufficiency, there is still optimism that this goal can be realized.
Effective coordination among stakeholders, third parties, and the farmers themselves is essential to create alignment in realizing food self-sufficiency.
As we know, Indonesia is a strong agricultural nation, but recently it has struggled to develop this sector effectively.
By identifying the root causes and finding the best solutions, we can indeed become a self-sufficient nation in food production.
