Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 03:04 PM UTC

Fertilizer reform vital for Indonesia's food self-sufficiency

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Putu Savitri, Uyu Liman

South Tapanuli, North Sumatra (ANTARA) - Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Hanif Faisol Nurofiq stated that reforming subsidized fertilizer governance is a crucial step in supporting Indonesia's ambition to achieve food self-sufficiency.

"Under President Prabowo Subianto's directive, 145 regulations were consolidated into just three, streamlining the (procurement) flow from the Agriculture Ministry to (state-owned producer) Pupuk Indonesia, and directly to farmers," Nurofiq said in a discussion monitored online here on Thursday.

He explained that prior to the government's deregulation and reform of fertilizer management, subsidized products had to navigate a complex web of 145 regulations before being manufactured and reaching the farmers.

Nurofiq stated that the issuance of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 113 of 2025 concerning an Amendment to Presidential Regulation Number 6 of 2025 regarding Subsidized Fertilizer Governance provides a significant boost to Indonesia's food self-sufficiency goals.

"The availability of these fertilizers is a vital factor in our continuous efforts to achieve national food self-sufficiency," the deputy minister emphasized.

Furthermore, he highlighted a 20 percent reduction in the maximum retail price of subsidized fertilizers, a policy in effect since October 22, 2025.

"Prices previously around Rp2,000 (US$0.11 per kilogram) have been cut by up to 20 percent. This substantial reduction applies to almost all types of subsidized fertilizers; there are five types," Nurofiq noted.

The five specific types of subsidized fertilizers included in the price reduction scheme are urea, NPK, NPK for cocoa, ZA, and organic fertilizers.

Beyond fertilizer reform, Nurofiq emphasized that securing adequate agricultural land availability remains a primary government focus in realizing national food self-sufficiency.

"The government, through the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning (ATR) and the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs, has determined that at least 87 percent of standard paddy fields must be legally designated as protected agricultural land," he stated.

Nurofiq stressed this step is essential because sustainable agriculture relies heavily on five critical elements, namely availability of land, seeds, fertilizers, skilled human resources, and technology.

"All five of these critical elements have undergone massive regulatory improvements today," he concluded.

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