JAKARTA – National food security continues to be maintained thanks to the government program under President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership, namely food self-sufficiency, which is now no longer just a discourse but a reality.
This program has even led to a positive trend in domestic rice production, with a projected surplus of up to 2.8 million tons by July 2025, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
This surplus clearly underscores the government’s achievements in ensuring food availability and simultaneously reducing dependence on imports.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto emphasized that food self-sufficiency is truly part of the goal of independence.
“Our country must be able to stand on its own two feet. Our country must be economically sovereign and able to meet our own food needs,” the President said in his speech at the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).
He emphasized that the government is working hard to open millions of hectares of new rice fields, distribute fertilizer directly to farmers, and increase the purchase price of unhusked rice to IDR 6,500 per kilogram.
“Today, we have a rice production surplus. Our national rice reserves are more than 4 million tons. This is the highest in the history of the Republic of Indonesia,” he emphasized.
Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman stated that this achievement accelerates the target of food self-sufficiency.
“God willing, this year we can achieve food self-sufficiency,” he said.
He added that the President’s support and the hard work of farmers have resulted in a rice surplus of 4.86 million tons as of September 2025. Stocks at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) have also reached 4.2 million tons.
“This means that Indonesian farmers are not only improving the welfare of their own nation, but also contributing to maintaining global food stability,” he explained.
Rio Johan Putra, an academic from the University of August 17, 1945 Jakarta, believes that food self-sufficiency is a national survival strategy.
According to him, the government’s concrete steps are evident in stable grain prices, the free nutritious food program, and the oversight of food distribution by officials.
“Synergy between the government, officials, and the community is key to ensuring the program’s results truly reach the people,” Rio said.
He added that technological modernization, farmer incentives, and the role of the younger generation are crucial factors in ensuring sustainable self-sufficiency.
Food security has proven to not only keep people’s kitchens burning but also strengthen social, economic, and national political stability.
With these achievements, food self-sufficiency has now become a reality that strengthens national sovereignty. (*)
