Sri Mulyani Calls The Agriculture Sector A Economic Power Amid Global Guncangan

Illustration of the agricultural sector (Ade Miranti/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani said that the performance of the agricultural sector in recent years has continued to progress. Even within 2024-2025, the increase in domestic rice production has increased significantly.

These achievements and jumps are sourced in the procurement of national rice so that Indonesia is able to become one of the most productive countries in the world. Throughout April 2025 alone, Perum Bulog managed to absorb 1.3 million tons of rice.

Meanwhile, the average annual absorption of the last seven years only ranged from 1.2 million tons. This means that within just one month, Bulog surpassed its annual absorption record.

"Our agricultural sector performance is still good, especially after we have experienced el Nino in the last few years. That's an achievement when the world is shaking if the food sector is calm, then it is a strong capital," said Sri Mulyani in a press conference on the April 2025 State Budget, Wednesday, April 30.

The performance of the absorption of unhulled rice carried out by Bulog and the direct push of ministries/agencies have had a major impact, especially on the stability of farmers' crops.

"We injected Bulog for Rp 16.6 trillion so that at harvest Bulog can stabilize it. So the planting time is right, the fertilizer is right, and the harvest time is stabilized, because the price of unhulled rice according to the President's instructions, is purchased at Rp. 6,500," said Sri Mulyani.

In addition, the government through the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) has taken quick steps by adding fertilizer subsidies so that they can be distributed to millions of farmers properly and have a major impact on increasing productivity.

"This year the planting season is going well, fertilizer subsidies are carried out very early, even the APBN provides fertilizer subsidies so that they can be divided into farmers and with reforms (renewal) in the fertilizer distribution sector carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture so that farmers can get fertilizers. This is why many harvests are so good," said the former Director of the World Bank.

Previously, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) until April this year, national grain production reached 13.9 million tons. Bulog's daily absorption is currently recorded at 51,530 tons per day, so that the national rice stock in Bulog's warehouse has reached 3,256,428 tons.

Not only that, until April 28, 2025, Bulog has rented an additional warehouse to accommodate 1.15 million tons of rice. First, the achievement of our rice stock is the highest for 23 years. It could even be that during independence. The second is our production, the highest jump is also in accordance with BPS, not my word," explained Amran.