Prabowo and Gibran, scheduled to take an oath of office for 2024-2029 presidential term on Sunday, October 20, 2024, are targeting a minimum increase of up to 4 hectares in the area of harvested land by 2029.
They will also seek to increase the productivity of agricultural land by implementing land intensification and extensification programs at the village, sub-district, district/city, and national levels.
The programs will be carried out in a more effective, integrated, and sustainable manner for commodities such as rice, corn, soybeans, cassava, sugar cane, sago, and breadfruit.
According to Prabowo, with the right efforts, Indonesia can tap its natural potential to increase food production significantly.
Agriculture is a very important sector, particularly as a determinant of how the nation will face future challenges, as well as the most strategic sector, especially for developing the economy amid the threat of a global crisis, he explained.
Prabowo has a special interest in the agricultural sector, which is a basic sector for building people's resilience, and wants to strengthen productivity with the help of mechanization technology, youth involvement, and industrial downstreaming.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman is optimistic that the target of achieving food self-sufficiency within four years can be achieved under the Prabowo administration.
"We are sure, if his target four years, we are sure, very sure that it can be achieved. Why? In the past, we were self-sufficient, that was (for) three years and it was four times (harvests per year)," he explained.
According to the minister, rice will be the main focus of efforts to build food self-sufficiency, and afterward, measures will be taken to make the country self-sufficient in corn production.
He explained that measures to increase rice and corn production need to be carried out one by one so that the target of food self-sufficiency can be achieved.
He added that young farmers have a vital role in encouraging food self-sufficiency in Indonesia.
Government efforts
According to Minister Sulaiman, currently, the Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging young farmers, including those from South Sulawesi Province.
The ministry has donated various modern agricultural tools for millennial and Generation Z farmers in the province, with the number of targeted recipients pegged at 50 thousand.
He appealed to farmers to revolutionize Indonesia's farming sector and build modern agriculture by implementing technology and mechanization in all processes. "This is a big challenge, but through hard work and innovation, we are optimistic that we can achieve it," he said.
The ministry is also working on a large-scale rice field printing program as a future solution to accelerate self-sufficiency and make Indonesia the world's food barn.
In addition, it is building agricultural facilities and infrastructure such as irrigation infrastructure and road access to rice fields.
Then, the central government has provided around 2,800 agricultural tools to Merauke District, South Papua Province.
A member of Commission IV of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sulaeman L. Hamzah, said that the provision of the agricultural tools is meant to accelerate self-sufficiency, especially in rice.
"We acknowledge that Merauke District, which used to be part of Papua Province before being divided (South Papua), has natural conditions that are very suitable for developing rice (production)," he added.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) plans to recruit graduates from agricultural vocational schools for the 2025 recruitment cycle through the Special Competency Bintara (Bakomsus) program.
According to Assistant to the National Police Chief Inspector General Dedi Prasetyo, apart from recruitment, his party has also ordered all regional police ranks to help plant corn, which is planned to be carried out simultaneously.
FAO support
Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu has expressed his commitment to support Indonesia's efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency over the next two to three years.
"We really appreciate Indonesia and will continue to support, so that Indonesia can achieve food self-sufficiency in two–three years," he said.
He reiterated that Indonesia deserves the FAO Agricola Medal, the highest award in the field of food security.
According to him, the nation has shown rapid progress in transforming its agricultural system by implementing the principles of sustainable agricultural development. The Agricola Medal award, he said, is proof of Indonesia's efforts to realize food security and a better life for the community.
President Joko Widodo received the award from the FAO.
Meanwhile, special staff for agricultural policy to the Minister of Agriculture, Sam Herodian, assured that the three million hectare rice field program for 2025 has the full support of President-elect Prabowo.
"We should be grateful and we are fortunate because there is continuity from the previous government to the next government," he said.
According to him, the transition of government should be appreciated because both Widodo and Prabowo are greatly interested in the agricultural sector.
He said that rice field printing is a step forward toward building a stronger Indonesia in terms of food security. The program is not only expected to help increase the planting area, but also the planting index from one previously to two or even three times a year.
Indonesia's hopes for building self-sufficiency and global food barn are not wishful thinking, but something that could become a reality in the not-too-distant future, he added.
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Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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