Simultaneous Rice Seeds Planting Marks Concrete Action to Food Self-Sufficiency

President Prabowo talks to some farmers from Indonesian regions after attending simultaneous rice seeds planting in Ogan Ilir regency, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 (Photo by: Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of Presidential Secretariat)

The simultaneous rice seeds planting event held in Ogan Ilir regency, South Sumatra province, on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, has served as part of government strategic measures to strengthen food resilience and sovereignty. The rice seeds planting event, carried out by utilizing agricultural drone technology, was led by President Prabowo Subianto.

On another occasion, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman mentioned that the great planting event was carried out simultaneously in 160 regencies throughout Indonesia. The Minister set a target of covering 1.3 million hectares of planting area in April 2025 which is estimated to produce up to 7.5 million tons of unhulled rice.

“Insya Allah, we aim to produce 7.5 million tons [of unhulled rice] which will be processed to 3.5 to 4 tons of rice and cover the need of 2.5 million tons per month,” the Minister explained.

Additionally, Minister of Agriculture said that until April, the accumulated rice stock has reached the largest number that reached to 3 million tons.

“We broke the record today by 3 million tons, and it is the largest number in the last 20 years, probably longer than 20 years. The data we have received mentioned that it is the largest number in the last 20 years, in 20 years the warehouse stock has reached to more than 3 million tons. Our corn production has also reached a large number. Insya Allah, we believe that today’s simultaneous rice seeds planting event will produce even more in the future,” he further explained.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Food Security Affairs Zulkifli Hasan was also very optimistic that the simultaneous rice seeds planting program will bring success, and that food self-sufficiency can be achieved soon.

“It means that until 2026, in normal situation, we do not need to import [rice] anymore. To be clear, we previously planned [to achieve it] in four years, three years, or two years, but we can achieve self-sufficiency in April,” he mentioned.

He also encouraged to launch the second planting program although irrigation improvement is currently ongoing in some areas. By predicting that the dry season will not be long, the Coordinating Minister has targeted that food production will be abundant and stable in 2025.

The great planting event has served as the symbol of new spirit in national agriculture development. Under President Prabowo’s directive, the Government affirmed that food sovereignty is a major priority in realizing independent, robust, and sovereign Indonesia. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of Presidential Secretariat)(AW/LW)