President Prabowo’s Food Self-Sufficiency Program Commits to Prioritizing the People’s Interests
Palembang – President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has reaffirmed its commitment to realizing the national food self-sufficiency program as a strategic priority to ensure the availability and affordability of food for all Indonesians. This step is part of the President’s broader vision to strengthen food security, reduce dependence on imports, and improve the welfare of farmers across the region.
Ahmad Parameswara Andalusia, Chairman of the Independent Farmers’ Regional Leadership Council of South Sumatra Province, said the food self-sufficiency program is a concrete manifestation of the Prabowo-Gibran government’s pro-people program.
“How could the 8th President, Prabowo Subianto, not make history in the world of agriculture by raising the price of harvested dry grain to Rp 6,500, an unprecedented price. This laid the foundation for improving the agricultural economy and was enthusiastically welcomed by farmers throughout Indonesia,” said Ahmad.
The real proof of achieving food self-sufficiency is the increase in agricultural productivity to 3.8 million tons equivalent to rice, which is a form of the Ministry of Agriculture’s hard work in realizing this program in a real and measurable way.
“The Ministry of Agriculture is also accelerating the increase in planted area (LTT) through the OPLA (rice field optimization) and the People’s Rice Field Printing (Printing Sawah Rakyat) programs, which have significantly increased agricultural yields each harvest season. These programs have even given birth to a new generation of millennial farmers, known as the Food Brigade, who are the gateway to modernizing the agricultural world and will be the antithesis that farmers will prosper and avoid neglect,” Ahmad explained.
Ahmad explained that South Sumatra, specifically based on data recorded by the rice-producing districts of Ogan Komering Ulu, Ogan Ilir, Banyuasin, and Musi Banyuasin, is self-sufficient in food, with South Sumatra’s rice production in 2024 reaching 1,635,610 tons and consumption reaching 846,060 tons, resulting in a surplus of 789,550 tons.
“This is the highest figure in the past four years. Other food commodities that are already self-sufficient in South Sumatra are fish (farmed and wild-caught) and chicken eggs,” said Ahmad.
Furthermore, fish production (cultivated and captured) in 2023 was 488,805 tons, while demand (consumption) was 373,116.7 tons, resulting in a surplus of 115,688.3 tons. Chicken egg production in 2024 was 145,359,158 kg, while consumption was 68,715,900 kg, resulting in a surplus of 76,643,258 kg.
“Excess rice, meat, and chicken eggs are being shipped outside South Sumatra Province, including to Jakarta, Banten, West Java, and Bangka Belitung. The above facts are concrete and tangible evidence that farmers are experiencing Prabowo Subianto’s food self-sufficiency program, which is a golden Indonesia program,” Ahmad explained.
The government aims to ensure that within the next few years, Indonesia will be able to meet the majority of its rice, corn, soybeans, and other strategic commodity needs from domestic production. This effort demonstrates that the interests of the people remain a top priority in every policy of President Prabowo Subianto.
