Wamenan: Downstream Agriculture Is President Prabowo's Way Of Mastering The World Market

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

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan) Sudaryono emphasized that downstreaming of agriculture is President Prabowo Subianto's main strategy to bring Indonesia's plantation and livestock commodities back to leading world trade.

"The president wants to return all plantation commodity products including livestock, it occupies the top position in the world trade regulations," said the Deputy Minister, after attending the 2025 World Anti-Corruption Day (Hakordia) Commemoration, at the Ministry of Agriculture Headquarters, Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Thursday, December 11.

He conveyed that Indonesia is targeting exports of leading commodities, such as coconut, coffee, cocoa, and palm oil in the form of processed value added, not raw materials.

The Deputy Minister said that the government is currently working on downstreaming 11 strategic commodities, including internal coconut, cocoa, coffee, nutmeg, pepper, gambir, and other leading plantation commodities.

Sudaryono emphasized that Indonesia's comparative advantages as a tropical country with fertile land, sun throughout the year, and abundant natural resources are very supportive of modern agriculture.

According to him, agriculture is not an ancient sector, but a competitive future sector, absorbs large labor, and has a strategic role in national economic development.

The President, said Sudaryono, wants all Indonesia's leading commodities to return to being the world's number one through increasing productivity, quality, and strengthening the domestic processing industry.

Furthermore, he said the government had prepared stages of agricultural development in the next five years so that the achievement of self-sufficiency and exports would run measurably and sustainably.

"So in these five years we have had stages that we have to go through, so that agriculture is really successful. Agriculture should not be considered ancient, but this agriculture is competitive and comparative for Indonesia's administration," said the Deputy Minister.

According to him, in addition to strengthening the economy, the agricultural sector is also considered inclusive because it can be accessed by various educational backgrounds, thus opening up wide job opportunities for the community.

With a sustainable downstream and self-sufficiency strategy, Indonesia is optimistic that it will make agriculture the main motor of national economic growth as well as pride in the global arena.