Wamentan Sudaryono Emphasizes Commitment to Strengthening the Implementation of Sustainable NEK

Sudaryono emphasized his commitment to strengthening the implementation of the Carbon Economy Value. (Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan) Sudaryono emphasized his commitment to strengthening the implementation of the Carbon Economic Value (NEK) as part of the transformation towards low-emission and sustainable agriculture.

Sudaryono in his statement in Jakarta, Wednesday, said the agricultural sector has a strategic role in the implementation of the NEK because it is not only a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but also serves as a carbon sink through sustainable cultivation practices.

"With the implementation of low-emission technologies and environmentally friendly land management, this sector can be a key in controlling climate change while opening up new economic opportunities," he said as quoted by Antara.

Wamentan added that the readiness of the agricultural sector in the implementation of NEK is also an important factor in attracting foreign investment, in line with the opening of international carbon trading.

Through this mechanism, global investors can purchase carbon credits from Indonesia, thus opening up financing opportunities for low-carbon projects in the agricultural sector.

Furthermore, Sudaryono stated that this effort is in line with Indonesia's vision in the Long-Term Strategy for Low Carbon and Climate Resilience (LTS-LCCR) 2050 as well as the commitment to reduce emissions through the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The government itself has targeted a reduction in agricultural sector emissions of 10 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030, as part of the national target.

In addition, the 2025-2029 RPJMN also emphasizes the importance of integrating economic growth with food, energy, and water security, as well as the transition to a green economy and Net Zero Emission with a target of reducing emissions by 30.11 percent by 2029.

To accelerate the implementation of NEK, the government has issued Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 110 of 2025 concerning the implementation of cross-sectoral carbon economic instruments, including the agricultural sector which includes the sub-sectors of rice paddies, livestock, and plantations.

He added, the Ministry of Agriculture itself since 2019 has carried out various emission reduction programs.

Some of them are the development of biogas, increasing soil carbon reserves through organic fertilizers, growing organic villages, using low-emission rice varieties, improving livestock feed quality, balanced fertilization, peatland management, and carbon sequestration in horticultural and plantation crops.

In addition, the government is completing derivative regulations in the form of a Minister of Coordinating Minister for Food Regulation regarding the structure and work system of the NEK Steering Committee, as well as the Minister of Agriculture Regulation on the implementation of carbon economic instruments in the agricultural sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture is also drafting various strategic roadmaps, including the Net Zero Emission (NZE) agricultural sector, Enhanced NDC (ENDC), Second NDC (SNDC), and the road map for the implementation of the NEK agricultural sector.

In its implementation, the Ministry of Agriculture will strengthen the real-time data-based Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system, develop low-emission agricultural practices, increase the capacity of farmers and extension workers in carbon literacy, and encourage economic incentive schemes such as carbon pricing and result-based payment.