The president conveyed this during the mass planting activity across 14 provinces in Ogan Ilir District, South Sumatra Province, on Wednesday, as a strategic effort to strengthen food security and sovereignty.
"Indonesia will become the world's food barn. Right now, we can help other countries and our neighbors in terms of humanity," he stated during his speech at the event.
Prabowo highlighted Indonesia's natural resource wealth and urged decentralized management of their processing.
During his remarks, Prabowo lauded the work of all elements in accelerating agricultural production, including Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, regional heads, farmer groups, and other stakeholders.
In a separate statement, Minister Sulaiman noted that this year's mass planting spans 160 districts across Indonesia, targeting 1.3 million hectares by April 2025 to yield an estimated 7.5 million tons of grain.
"I am targeting our production to reach 7.5 million tons. If processed into rice, it will be 3.5 to 4 million tons from the previous monthly requirement of 2.5 million tons," he remarked.
He noted that rice absorption until April hit a 10-year high, while Sulaiman reported stocks at 3 million tons.
He described this mass planting activity as a symbol of a new spirit in national agricultural development.
This mass planting uses modern agricultural technology to convert inundated areas into productive fields.
The modern method also helped transform less productive swamp land into rice fields to boost regional production.
Under the direction of President Prabowo, the government emphasized that food sovereignty is the main priority in realizing an independent, strong, and sovereign country.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi/Suci Nurhaliza, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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