President Jokowi: Indonesia Has Not Imported Rice At All In 2021 And In Fact Our Stock Is Still Very Good

YouTube Screenshot of the Presidential Secretariat - President Jokowi after planting rice with farmers in Trenggalek Regency, East Java (Photo: Indra Arief/Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said Indonesia had not imported rice at all in 2021, and currently rice stocks were also in a good position to meet national needs.

"We know that this year, 2021, until today we have not imported rice at all and in fact, our stock (rice) is still in a very good position," said President Jokowi after cultivating the land and planting rice with farmers in Trenggalek Regency, East Java, as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat Youtube, reported by Antara, Tuesday, November 30.

President Jokowi said the productivity of farmers has increased this year due to the completion of the construction of several dams in previous years. The function of running irrigation for agricultural land has boosted the productivity of farmers to meet domestic needs.

“This is an addition to the productivity of the farmers, because there were a lot of dams that were completed in previous years. This is starting to show results from the increase in productivity of farmers, so that the total production throughout the country is crawling up," said the President.

Before planting rice in Trenggalek Regency, the President also inaugurated two dams, namely the Tugu Dam in Trenggalek Regency and the Gongseng Dam in Bojonegoro Regency, East Java.

The President hopes that with the construction of the Tugu Dam, the farmers in Trenggalek can increase the frequency of the harvest season for both rice and secondary crops. That way, the productivity of each hectare of agricultural land in Trenggalek can increase drastically

"Overall in East Java Province, the production of 5.7 million tons of rice to meet the needs of East Java and to supply other provinces nationally," said President Jokowi. Accompanying President Jokowi in planting rice in Trenggalek were Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo , PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, and other relevant officials.