Indonesia is on course to become one of the world’s leading food producers, with rising agricultural output allowing the country to shift from a food importer to an emerging exporter, President Prabowo Subianto said.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Meninting Dam in West Lombok, Prabowo said Indonesia’s strengthening food production has positioned the country to play a bigger role in global food security.
“I am confident Indonesia will become the world’s food barn. We used to depend on food imports, but now we have started exporting food to other countries,” he said.
Prabowo noted that Indonesia’s growing agricultural capacity has attracted international interest, with several countries seeking supplies of strategic agricultural products from the country.
He revealed that Australia has formally requested to purchase urea fertiliser from Indonesia, while Brazil, the Philippines and India have also submitted similar requests to help meet their domestic agricultural needs.
According to Prabowo, the growing demand reflects Indonesia’s increasing influence in the global food supply chain, driven by stronger food security and higher agricultural productivity.
He said the government will continue accelerating agricultural development programmes to ensure long-term food self-sufficiency while strengthening Indonesia’s position as a reliable international food supplier.
“Without much publicity, Indonesia is proving that the country is rising and will continue to grow,” he said, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Meanwhile, the latest figures released by Indonesia’s National Food Agency (BAPANAS) show the country’s rice production continued to increase during the first half of 2026, boosting government rice reserves and helping stabilise domestic food prices.
BAPANAS reported that government procurement of paddy from local farmers reached 3.3 million tonnes between January and June 2026.
During the first quarter of the year, Indonesia produced 9.63 million tonnes of rice, exceeding domestic consumption of 7.76 million tonnes and creating a surplus of approximately 1.86 million tonnes.
Of that surplus, state logistics agency Bulog absorbed the equivalent of 1.46 million tonnes of rice, while the remaining 400,800 tonnes were supplied to the private sector to strengthen commercial stockpiles.
For the first six months of 2026, Indonesia’s total rice production is estimated at 19.27 million tonnes, compared with domestic demand of around 15.48 million tonnes, resulting in a net surplus of 3.79 million tonnes.
According to BAPANAS, the country’s total rice stock, including government reserves, now stands at approximately five million tonnes, reinforcing Indonesia’s ambitions to become a major contributor to regional and global food security.
