DIGIVESTASI - President Prabowo Subianto Announces Indonesia's Plan to Import Rice from India, President Prabowo Subianto revealed that Indonesia plans to import rice from India. This statement was made during a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Brazil on Monday, November 18, 2024. In a statement released by the Cabinet Secretariat on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Prabowo emphasized that this import decision is part of efforts to strengthen trade cooperation between Indonesia and India.

"We hope to finalize the agreement on rice imports from India soon," President Prabowo said.

However, the President did not provide further details regarding the technicalities or quotas of the imports.

Previous Rice Imports from India

The Indonesian government had previously imported rice from India. In 2023, under President Joko Widodo’s administration, a contract was signed to procure 1 million tons of rice from India as part of efforts to maintain the national rice stock amid the threat of El Niño impacts. At that time, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan stated that the government was working to secure rice supplies to ensure domestic availability. "We have signed an MoU with India for the import of 1 million tons," said Zulhas in June 2023.

Several months later, in December 2023, Indonesia also confirmed a rice import agreement with Thailand for 2 million tons as part of efforts to maintain national food reserves. President Jokowi stated that these imports were essential to mitigate the impact of El Niño, which reduced rice production in 2023.

"This rice import is aimed at securing food resilience, and we have obtained agreements from India and Thailand," said Jokowi on December 22, 2023.

Indonesia's Continued Reliance on Rice Imports

In recent years, Indonesia has continued to depend on rice imports due to limited domestic production, with major supplier countries including India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Cambodia. In 2024, Indonesia is expected to import around 3.6 million tons of rice.

Prabowo's Commitment to Addressing Food Shortages

On the other hand, President Prabowo also expressed his commitment to tackling food shortages in Indonesia during the first session of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18, 2024. In his speech, Prabowo outlined the target to address food shortages within three years and achieve food self-sufficiency within the next four years. Over the next five years, Indonesia aims to contribute to global efforts to alleviate poverty and hunger.

"Our target is to address food shortages in three years and achieve self-sufficiency in four years," Prabowo said, as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube broadcast.

Supporting Vision from Cabinet Ministers

Prabowo's vision is supported by ministers in the Indonesia Maju Cabinet. Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, targets Indonesia to achieve food self-sufficiency, especially in rice and corn, by 2028. "The President has repeatedly emphasized the importance of food self-sufficiency. We will work hard to achieve this target by 2028," said Zulhas after visiting the rice storage facility of Perum Bulog in Jakarta on Monday, November 4, 2024.

Strategies for Achieving Food Self-Sufficiency

To achieve food self-sufficiency, the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) has developed various strategies, including land expansion and intensification. Kementan has also established the Food Self-Sufficiency Brigade for the rice field development program and land optimization. Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman explained that this brigade involves the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), with the goal of developing 2.4 million hectares of new land over the next five years.

Plans to Reduce Rice Imports by 2025

By 2025, although Indonesia is still importing rice in 2024, the government plans to reduce dependency on imports. Zulkifli Hasan revealed that rice stocks at Bulog are expected to reach 2 million tons by the end of 2024, which should be sufficient to meet domestic demand until the end of the year. "With the existing stock, we hope to reduce rice imports next year, and perhaps we won't need to import at all," said Zulhas on November 11, 2024.

He assured that rice availability would be maintained during the harvest shortage period from January to February 2025, as rice production is expected to exceed demand in the following months. "We are not worried because Bulog's rice stock has now reached 2 million tons," explained Zulhas.

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