JAKARTA - Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Nusron Wahid said Indonesia is facing a food emergency. Because, in the last five years, more than 554 thousand hectares of rice fields in Indonesia have changed function into industrial and residential areas.
"This directly threatens the President's dream for food self-sufficiency. We must admit, this is an emergency," Nusron told reporters after reporting to President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace, Wednesday (28/1/2026).
He said the proliferation of changes in the function of rice fields into buildings occurred due to the weakness of spatial protection. Based on Presidential Regulation No. 12 of 2025 concerning the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025-2030, the government targets at least 87 percent of all raw rice fields (LBS) must be protected as permanent agricultural land or LP2B (Sustainable Agriculture and Food Land). This means that rice fields should not be changed forever.
However, data shows that the target is still far away. At the provincial level, only 67.8 percent of rice fields have entered LP2B. Even lower in districts/cities - only 41 percent. If it is not included in the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW), rice fields can easily be converted into buildings. "Then all development can freely enter the rice fields. This is very dangerous," said Nusron.
The central government is now taking emergency steps. For areas that have not listed LP2B at least 87 percent, all rice fields are temporarily considered LP2B. This means that rice fields should not be changed to other functions until the RTRW revision is carried out.
For areas that have included LP2B but have not reached 87 percent, they have been given six months for revision. So far, only 64 districts have been in accordance. The rest, 409 areas must immediately improve their spatial planning.
"We will hold a meeting with all the regional governments next week in Sentul with the Ministry of Home Affairs," said Nusron.
He also reminded that the spatial audit was ongoing. Several indications of violations, including in Sumatra, are being investigated. Nusron emphasized, this is not just a matter of technical documents, but about the future of national food security.
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