TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) explained the data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) regarding the estimate of national rice production this year which dropped by 760,000 tons or 2.43 percent compared to 2023. The Head of the Public Relations and Public Information Office of Kementan, Moch. Arief Cahyono, claimed to have known well in advance about the potential deficit in national rice production at the beginning of 2024. Since his inauguration in October 2023, Arief mentioned that the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, and his team have taken mitigation steps to deal with the impact of El Nino by optimizing water sources through pumping.

At that time, Amran revealed the potential shift in planting periods and production deficits at the beginning of 2024. "His immediate action was to reallocate the external and internal budget of the Ministry of Agriculture's Eselon I in the 2023 Fiscal Year amounting to Rp1 trillion. This budget was used for seed provision, agricultural machinery and equipment (alsintan), fertilizers, and pesticides," said Arief as quoted from a written statement today.

Agreeing with the BPS, Arief stated that delays in planting periods at the end of 2023 caused the peak harvest period that should have occurred in March-April 2024 to shift. As a result, there was a production deficit at the beginning of 2024 covered by the procurement of 3.5 million tons of rice from abroad by Perum Bulog.

Nevertheless, Arief mentioned that through pumping interventions and sufficient fertilizer availability, after the peak harvest in April-May 2024, monthly production since August significantly exceeded production in the same month in 2023. He predicted that this trend would continue until December 2024. "The government remains optimistic that rice production will continue to improve," said Arief.

The Area Frame Sampling (KSA) data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) indicated that rice production in the period of August-October 2022 reached 12.55 million tons. This figure remained unchanged in the following year, at 12.55 million tons. Meanwhile, in 2024, rice production increased to 14.73 million tons. When accumulated, second-semester 2024 rice production was able to yield 23.36 million tons. This achievement increased compared to 2022, which was 22.44 million tons, and 2023, which was 21.63 million tons.

With the increased production amid drought, Arief claimed that the Expanded Planting Area (PAT) program promoted by Kementan since early 2024 had yielded results. This program was implemented through land optimization and pumping with the aim of increasing the paddy field planting index from once a year to 2-3 times a year.

Arief added that the increased production was also supported by the policy of providing and distributing subsidized fertilizers. Since early 2024, the government has increased the quota of subsidized fertilizers from 4.7 million tons to 9.5 million tons. Farmers who are already registered to receive subsidized fertilizers can redeem them by presenting their original ID cards.

The government, according to Arief, is continuously working on land optimization and land planting indexes while also preparing new paddy fields through a 3 million-hectare paddy field development starting in 2025. The government is optimistic that within the next 3 years at the latest, Indonesia will return to rice self-sufficiency. "And in the following years, we will export and become a world food barn," he said.

Editor's Choice: Jokowi Asks Prabowo to Continue Rice Social Assistance

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News