Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Distribution of Crop Failure Assistance for Farmers in Grobogan Regency, Central Java Province, January 23, 2024

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good morning,

May peace be upon us all,

Distinguished Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Prof. Muhadjir,

Distinguished Minister of Health,

Distinguished Minister of Public Works and Public Housing—what is the minister’s name? Mr. Basuki? Oh, you know him already then.

Distinguished Head of the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) General Suharyanto—do you know him? You were given hundreds of millions [of rupiahs]. How come you do not know him? Mr. Haryanto of the BPNB was the one who gave it.

Distinguished [Acting] Governor of Central Java province, Regent of Grobogan regency, regents and mayors who came here from Kudus, Jepara, Demak, and Pati,

Ladies and Gentlemen, farmers receiving crop failure assistance,

Have you received the money yet? Not yet? Does it mean you will? Okay. Some have already received it. One group received 200 million; some received 180 million; and some others received 122 million. I hope you receive the cash shortly and use it for planting.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our country is not the only one facing this issue. Others are also experiencing crop failure due to long droughts and floods. Climate change has become more evident. Back then, people talked about climate change, climate change, climate change, merely as a topic of discussion.

However, it is right in front of our eyes now. Disasters have occurred everywhere. Other countries’ rice production also dropped due to these disasters. Long-term droughts and constant rainfall have caused crop failure. Some countries used to be able to buy rice from 22 countries because they had the supply, but now, due to those disasters—droughts and flooded paddy fields—they have stopped exporting. If we want to buy it, they say, “No, we have no supply. We have the supply, but we use it for our own people.” Twenty-two countries have now stopped exporting rice to other countries. Imagine. If a country has a population of only 10 million or 25 million, it is not a big deal. We have a population of 280 million and every one of them has to eat, don’t they?

Therefore, your role as a farmer is essential for this country. Last year, I asked Mr. Suhar, “General, paddy fields are flooded. Can we assist the farmers so that they have the power to replant [rice]?” The General told me, “Sir, a flood is a disaster just as an earthquake. We can assist them.” I directly ordered him to provide assistance. When an earthquake occurs and houses collapse or even just crack, the BNPB provides assistance. The victims’ suffering is the same as [farmers whose] rice fields are flooded. We must assist them.

And today, Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope farmers receive the money shortly and use it to immediately plant [rice] and immediately harvest it. If we have the harvest, we do not have to import it from other countries because they all have stopped exporting rice.

Nevertheless, farmers are now happy that the price of unhulled rice increased. Do you not think I know that? The price of unhulled rice rose, but everyone stayed silent. I remember three years ago, the price of unhulled rice was around Rp4,300-Rp4,200. How much is it now? Rp7,800-7,600. I saw in Sumatra, West Nusa Tenggara, and Sulawesi, the price is… if the price of unhulled rice is already Rp7,800, how much does the rice cost? If the price soars, you will be happy, but the people will criticize me, no? This is what we want to maintain—making both the farmers and the people who buy the rice happy. It is not an easy job for the Government and it is not easy to maintain that balance, to keep both parties happy. Now if the farmers are happy, what about the consumers? Whatever measure the Government takes, it will not make everyone happy, but that is the Government’s job—to resolve the issue, to find a solution.

If I go to a market… I visit markets almost every week to check prices, to check the prices of shallot, garlic, beef egg, chicken, and rice. If you ladies buy rice, “Sir, how much is the rice?” However, if I visit the farmers, they are all silent. Do express your gratitude to the Almighty God, not to me, because the prices increased. It means that the price doubled, doesn’t it? I noticed that the Farmer’s Exchange Rate (NTP) skyrocketed. After first-hand inspection, I found that the price of unhulled rice soared drastically.

[The assistance is] for those affected by El Niño, floods, and the current long-term drought in 16,000 hectares of land in Central Java and the beneficiaries today are [farmers in] regencies of Grobogan, Kudus, Jepara, Demak, and Pati.

The provided assistance has been calculated – Rp8 million per hectare. It has been calculated, so General Suharyanto cannot be wrong. The calculation must be correct. That is for production cost. I hope you can immediately harvest [rice] in 3-4 months and we can boost productivity.

That concludes my statement on this auspicious occasion.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

(DH/EP)