Minister of Agriculture Says Strengthening the US Dollar Benefits Farmers

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman assessed that the strengthening of the United States dollar (USD) does not always have a negative impact on the national food sector. According to him, this condition actually provides benefits for farmers by increasing the value of exports of Indonesian agricultural commodities.

"The president's weakening is certainly having an influence on the village community. Say garlic has an influence because of imports. But how many of our commodities are also exporting?" he told reporters when he was met at his residence, Kalibata, South Jakarta, Tuesday, May 19.

Amran admitted that a number of commodities that are still dependent on imports, such as garlic and soybeans, have the potential to be affected by the weakening of the rupiah. However, overall, the benefits received by the agricultural sector, especially in rural areas, are considered much greater.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Amran said the value of agricultural exports continued to increase. In 2025, it was recorded to have increased by 28.26 percent to Rp166 trillion. Meanwhile, imports have experienced a sharp decline, recorded at 9.66 percent to Rp41 trillion.

According to Amran, this condition shows that the national agricultural sector actually benefits from the dynamics of the exchange rate.

"This is what the president meant. There is an impact, yes, but the positive impact in the village is also there. The village is a farmer, right? The positive impact is higher," he said.

On the other hand, Amran said the government was committed to protecting the community, especially farmers, in the midst of the current geopolitical conflict. One of them, by lowering the subsidized fertilizer price by 20 percent.

In addition, continued Amran, the government is also trying to continue to maintain the stability of the price of subsidized fuel oil (BBM).

"Subsidi BBM tidak naik, pupuk turun. Itulah yang dimaksud Bapak Presiden bahwa dolar itu tidak terlalu berpengaruh," ucap Amran.

Previously, President Prabowo Subianto spoke about the weakening of the Rupiah exchange rate against the US Dollar which has now touched the level of Rp17,600 per US dollar, the weakest in history.

Even though the rupiah exchange rate has fallen very deeply, Prabowo has dismissed negative perceptions related to Indonesia's economy which is predicted to be bleak.

"I am sure now there are always people who are always "Indonesia will collapse, it will be chaos"... People in the village don't use dollars," said Prabowo at the inauguration of the Marsinah Museum in Nganjuk, East Java, Saturday, May 16.