Coordinating Minister Zulhas: This Year We Are Self-Sufficiency In Rice

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

TANGERANG - Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan said Indonesia had achieved food self-sufficiency, especially for rice commodities. The claim is based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) which projects a surplus of rice production of up to 5 million tons by the end of this year.

Last year we imported 3.8 million of rice, there is a trade minister who knows. This year, until the end of the year, said BPS, not my word, we will have a surplus of approximately 4 to 5 million. So we can say, this year we can say that Indonesia is self-sufficient in food specifically for rice," he said at the 40th TEI event, at ICE BSD, Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday, October 15.

Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, emphasized that this achievement could not be separated from the cooperation between ministries and related institutions.

Furthermore, Zulhas also mentioned the acceleration of the development of food self-sufficiency areas in Merauke, South Papua, which were successfully completed in just three weeks.

"The area for the development of food self-sufficiency, which has not been completed for more than a year, we can finish it within three weeks," he said.

Zulkifli also invited all parties to continue to strengthen collaboration in maintaining national food security.

"Once again, the keyword is cooperation between institutions, between district governments, local governments," he said.

For your information, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) estimates that national rice production will reach 33.19 million tons from January to November 2025. This number increased 12.62 percent compared to the same period last year which was recorded at 29.47 million tons.

This estimate is based on the results of the August 2025 Area Sample Framework (KSA). If detailed per month, rice production reached 1.26 million tons in January, 2.28 million tons in February, and 5.23 million tons in March 2025.

BPS also revealed that domestic rice production, which is estimated to reach 33.19 million tons from January to November 2025, came from the results of KSA as much as August 2025. The details, January 2025 as much as 1.26 million tons of rice, 2.28 million tons in February 2025, and 5.23 million tons in March 2025.

Then, as many as 5.23 million tons of rice in April 2025, 2.94 million tons in May 2025, 2.31 million tons in June 2025, 2.77 million tons in July 2025, and 3.24 million tons in August 2025. BPS also estimates rice production in September, October, and November 2025 respectively is 3.28 million tons, 2.74 million tons, and 1.91 million tons.