Today Prabowo harvests rice in Karawang, announces self-sufficiency of rice without imports

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to conduct a harvest and announce the achievement of rice self-sufficiency in the past year in Karawang, West Java, on Wednesday, January 7.

The Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said that the agenda was a confirmation of the government's success in achieving rice self-sufficiency by 2025, which was marked by the absence of rice imports for the past year.

"The agenda is a confirmation that we have succeeded in achieving rice self-sufficiency in this year. It is not yet food self-sufficiency as a whole because food includes many commodities, but for carbohydrates, especially rice, we have been self-sufficient and no longer import throughout 2025," said Prasetyo in his statement.

Prasetyo said that the achievement of self-sufficiency in rice was the initial foothold towards a larger target, namely self-sufficiency in food as a whole. However, the government does not want to be complacent with this achievement.

He revealed that the government's rice reserves managed by Bulog are currently the largest in history. However, the government remains vigilant about the potential decline in production due to weather factors and climate change.

To maintain the sustainability of production, the government will continue to focus on the availability of fertilizers, improvement of irrigation systems, intensification of agriculture, and the development of seeds that are adapted to the characteristics of the region.

"We hope that this achievement can be maintained and even improved. We must not be satisfied, even though this is the first time in the history of rice reserves at Bulog has been at the highest level," said Prasetyo.

Furthermore, President Prabowo has directed the government to immediately pursue self-sufficiency in other strategic commodities, such as corn, onions, and protein sources.

During the Red and White Cabinet retreat, the President also emphasized the acceleration of the development of the fisheries sector through the development of fishing villages and the construction of around 1,582 fishing vessels.

In addition, the government encourages the development of inland fish cultivation, the results of which are expected to be absorbed by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to support the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program.

"In addition to self-sufficiency in carbohydrates, we also target self-sufficiency in protein, including egg needs. The MBG program is targeted to reach up to 82 million recipients by May," concluded Prasetyo.