Deputy Minister Sudaryono: Indonesia Is Ready To Become A World Food Barn

Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan) Sudaryono. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan) Sudaryono stated that Indonesia is ready to become a world food barn through increased production, innovation, and collaboration in the agricultural sector.

"As Deputy Minister, of course, I prioritize our society. But we also want to contribute to feeding the world," said Wamentan when opening the International Fertilizer Producers Event in Bali, quoted by Antara, Friday, April 25.

The Deputy Minister said that Indonesia is not only focused on domestic food security, but is ready to contribute to global food security.

He mentioned that based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) until April 2025, national grain production reached 13.9 million tons. Meanwhile, domestic rice consumption was recorded at around 10.37 million tons, and this shows a surplus and sufficient to meet domestic food needs.

In addition, Deputy Minister Sudaryono or who is familiarly called Mas Dar explained the success of the water supply program through pumping and pipelines that allow farmers to plant two to three times a year.

Through this program, more than 2 million hectares of land were successfully flowed by water, increasing very significant agricultural productivity.

Our planting index has increased. This means that land productivity has also increased. Once planted in a year now it can be two to three times. This is an extraordinary achievement," he said.

With this increase in productivity, Indonesia is increasingly optimistic about achieving self-sufficiency in rice. Moreover, Perum Bulog has absorbed 1.4 million tons of unhulled rice from the target of 2 million tons in April 2025. If this target is achieved, Indonesia will no longer need rice imports.

"Bulog Corporation is also asked to maintain rice supply and production amid the crisis experienced by a number of countries such as Japan, the Philippines and Malaysia," said Wamenan.

On the other hand, Wementan emphasized the important role of fertilizer in maintaining global food security, especially in the midst of major challenges due to climate change and increasing the world's population.

He stated that fertilizer is not just agricultural input material, but the main element in achieving optimal agricultural products.

Pupuk is the backbone of food security. Without fertilizer, seeds and water alone are not enough to produce optimal production," he said.

He also invited all countries and companies to work together to ensure the availability of fertilizer raw materials and encourage innovation of environmentally friendly fertilizer technology.

Indonesia is very open to collaboration with anyone, from any country. Global collaboration is the key to the future of world agriculture," he stressed.

Furthermore, Wamenan conveyed the readiness of the Ministry of Agriculture to have a dialogue and open a space for direct cooperation with the participants.

"If there is an issue that you want to convey, I am ready to discuss. Let's make this meeting the beginning of real cooperation for more sustainable world agriculture," said Wamenan.