TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said rice production in January-March 2025 is predicted to increase by 50 percent. Amran said that the data was obtained from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), which said that in January 2025 it rose 50 percent compared to last year and was predicted to rise 49 percent in February and 51 percent in March 2025. "Three months in a row, hopefuly, April will also be good. That is the temporary number," Amran said in a press conference at the Ministry of Agriculture office, Jakarta, Thursday, January 29, 2025. 

He said that BPS's data followed the facts on the ground. According to him, as rice production increased, the price of rice received by the community also decreased. Furthermore, currently, the price of unhulled rice in 70 percent of provinces throughout Indonesia is below the government purchase price (HPP), which is Rp6,500.

According to Amran, this is due to increased production from farmers. "The price of rice, I still remember, the average in January, February of 2024, I still remember, even queuing to buy rice, and at that time, the average price was more than Rp15,000, now it is more than Rp12,000. So, there are two facts in the field that show that the BPS figures are linear," Amran said. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) and Statistics Indonesia (BPS) have just established a cooperation to strengthen agricultural data. Amran Sulaiman said that with the signing of the memorandum of understanding, all agricultural data can only be issued by BPS. "Alhamdulillah, we have agreed that we have one door, namely the data from BPS, so as not to create polemics in the public. Because if we make our own data, take our own data, it could be high subjectivity, and there are interests and so on there," he said. 

Acting Head of BPS Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti said that the collaboration between BPS and the Ministry of Agriculture was an important moment to support the formulation of development policies, especially in agriculture. "Because in this case BPS in accordance with its duties and functions is to produce statistical data to be used and utilized to support the formulation of development policies, one of which is agricultural statistics," Amalia said.

ANTARA | AISHA SHAIDRA

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