The head of the Communication and Information Services Bureau at the ministry, Mochamad Arief Cahyono, confirmed this on Sunday in a statement reminding all parties to remain alert.
"Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has reminded the potential for global food crises. To this end, we prepared various strategic programs to anticipate them," he said.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the national food security is currently maintained, supported by the projected increase in rice production.
He said the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data showed that rice production in early 2025 is predicted to increase.
He further said that BPS noted that Indonesia's rice production in January–March 2025 could potentially reach 8.67 million tons, reflecting a 52.32 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, which only reached 5.69 million tons.
The potential increase in rice production is in line with the expansion of harvest areas, which is projected to increase the harvest areas to 2.83 million hectares.
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This figure reflects an increase of around 970.33 thousand hectares or 52.08 percent compared to January–March 2024, which stood at 1.86 million hectares.
"With the increase in production, domestic production is more than enough to meet people's demand," he said.
Apart from that, he continued, the increase in rice production is also reflected by prices that remained stable. BPS data showed that the average price of rice at the miller level in January 2025 stood at Rp12,796 (around US$0.78) per kilogram.
The price showed a 4.30 percent decline compared to January 2024.
"Usually, rice prices at the beginning of the year tend to be high. However, this year, they are relatively stable," Cahyono remarked.
To ensure the national food security is maintained, the Ministry of Agriculture asked state-owned logistics company Perum Bulog to optimize the purchase of paddy from farmers.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Raka Adji
Editor: Bayu Prasetyo
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