Minister Of Agriculture: Food Swasembada Will Have Problems If The Absorption Of Grain And Irrigation Does Not Work Well

Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Amran Sulaiman said that the role of Perum Bulog in absorbing grain and irrigation is also the key to success in achieving food self-sufficiency.

If both of them don't go well, then food self-sufficiency will be problematic.

For your information, the Ministry of Agriculture itself has identified the normalization and construction of irrigation on 2 million hectares (ha) of land. Meanwhile, the absorption of grain during the harvest season is assigned to Perum Bulog.

"I entrust it, absorption, absorption, grain, if this is a problem, self-sufficiency is problematic. Both important points are tertiary, secondary, and premium irrigation," he said in a limited coordination meeting in the food sector in East Java, reported by YouTube Kominfo MMC, Tuesday, January 7.

"Now it's a critical point of irrigation and absorption," he continued.

Furthermore, Amran said that irrigation development would increase rice production by 60 percent. Currently, he said development would be focused on three provinces, namely Central Java, East Java and also West Java.

"If the rice production is 60 percent, it will increase by 3 to 4 million rice, meaning that the swasmebada will be completed. The focus of the three irrigation provinces is self-sufficiency. So now there are two keys, Bulog absorption, and irrigation," he said.

If the absorption of grain and irrigation is problematic, continued Amran, then the policies issued by President Prabowo Subianto and the food security budget will be in vain.

"These two (Bulog absorption and irrigation) should not be wrong, this is problematic, our work, the President's policy has added fertilizer, then the price is increased, then irrigation, the budget is added Rp. 12 trillion first, there is an additional Rp. 10 trillion agricultural machine equipment, the Rp. 159 trillion budget is in vain," he said.

Previously, it was reported that the Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan revealed that the 2025 food security budget had increased from Rp144 trillion to Rp159 trillion.

Zulhas, as he is familiarly called, said that food security itself is a priority program for the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government.

"So, because this is a top priority program for the President, the total budget for food security is IDR 144 trillion, but yesterday I saw a change from the Minister of Finance of IDR 159 trillion," he said in a limited coordination meeting in the food sector in East Java, reported by YouTube Kominfo MMC, Tuesday, January 7.