Press Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia During Big Harvest at Baji Pamai Village, Maros Baru District, Maros Regency, South Sulawesi Province, March 30, 2023

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
I came to Maros regency to make sure that as a rice barn in South Sulawesi, we can see that Maros has started its big harvest and we hope that later the surplus can be brought to other provinces that need it. I see the amount of harvest is also good, one hectare can produce 5.5 tons of rice. This is Inpari 32, I think the results are good.

So, why is it only 5.5 tons per hectare? Because it was hit by floods twice, twice, so that it somewhat reduced production, but 5.5 [tons] is still a good number.

Press
How does the Government anticipate the floods so that it won’t happen again?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Controlling the weather is not an easy job. But most importantly, this big harvest in South Sulawesi can really produce a lot of surplus, so that it can be brought to other provinces.

Press
Any target for the surplus, Sir?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
If it could be above 2 million, that would be good. This is still not full harvest. We can figure it out once the harvest is completed.

Press
By looking at the yields here, can we reduce the inflation rate in the market?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Hopefully, yes. Once the yield is processed into rice, it will immediately go to the market. This means that if there is a lot of supply, the price will definitely go down. If the supply is low, the price will increase.

Press
Any issue about fertilizer, Sir?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Fertilizer [problem] occurred in all countries, the problem is not only in our country. All countries have same problems, because Russia and Ukraine are the biggest fertilizer producers and exporters. That’s the problem. However, Minister of Agriculture told me that he will find a solution

Press
Sir, there isn’t a modern agricultural factory in South Sulawesi yet. Will the Government build modern factories here for agriculture?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Modern rice mill? We have one. A few in Sumatra. Most of them are located in Java.

Press
Any plan to build one here?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
It is the Bulog’s business. They will build it.

(EST/LW)