"In the past, when farmers were ready to plant, the fertilizer had not arrived. Now, the distribution is direct, fast, and on target," he said in the Indonesia Economic Outlook 2026 event in Jakarta on Friday.
According to Sulaiman, there are two primary pillars for accelerating food self-sufficiency: deregulation and the transformation of agriculture from traditional to modern methods.
“We are taking two steps to achieve self-sufficiency: deregulation and the transition from traditional to modern farming,” he said.
Over the past year, the government has issued 13 Presidential Regulations in the agricultural sector—the highest number in history—and revoked approximately 500 internal regulations deemed to be hindering the progress of government programs.
This move cuts through bureaucratic red tape, accelerates the distribution of production tools, and lowers production costs for farmers. The most significant reform occurred in fertilizer management.
Previously, fertilizer distribution involved hundreds of regulations and multiple layers of approval. Now, the mechanism has been streamlined into a direct path from the Ministry of Agriculture to state-owned fertilizer company Pupuk Indonesia, and then straight to farmers.
As a result, fertilizer costs can drop by 20 percent, while volume can increase by 700,000 tons without causing an additional budget burden
The farmers’ exchange rate has reached 125, the highest in history, supported by a government purchasing price for unhusked rice set at Rp6,500 per kilogram.
This policy has generated economic turnover of up to Rp132 trillion (around US$7.8 billion) at the farmer level.
He added that these achievements are reflected in national food stocks, which are currently at their highest levels in history.
Speaking at the same event, President Prabowo Subianto confirmed that rice production in 2025 reached 34.7 million tons, up 13 percent from the previous year, while reserves secured by state-run logistics firm Perum Bulog have surpassed 4.2 million tons.
Related news: Prabowo cites fertilizer access, rice abundance as food security gains
Translator: Suharsana Aji, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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