Decreased Subsidy Fertilizer Allocation, Minister Of Energy And Mineral Resources: No Gas Problems To Fertilizer

Illustration (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif revealed that the allocation of natural gas supply for the production needs of the fertilizer industry in the country has not experienced any problems due to the reduction in the allocation of subsidized fertilizers by 50 percent.

"There has never been a problem with gas to fertilizer. We always prioritize gas for fertilizers and if this rare fertilizer is possible because the allocation of subsidized fertilizers is cut from the allocation of 9.5 million tons to only 4.5 million tons," said Arifin, Wednesday, March 20.

However, with a budget of Rp. 14 trillion, continued Arifin, the government has returned the allocation of subsidized fertilizers to the original 9.5 million tons so that there will be no turmoil among farmers.

"So a lot of subsidized fertilizer has been cut and now thank God it has been returned with a budget of Rp. 14 trillion," continued Arifin.

The government through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources ensures the availability of gas as a raw material for fertilizers aims to ensure the availability of fertilizers for farmers, maintain the stability of fertilizer prices and increase national food production.

The allocation of natural gas for fertilizer is a form of government intervention in maintaining national food security.

"I used to (work) in the gas industry, it was difficult to get gas. Now I don't want fertilizers to be difficult to get gas, the problem is that the availability of subsidized fertilizers is limited," concluded Arifin.