Antara News·Indonesia·Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 07:39 AM UTC

Indonesia enters second year of rice import independence: Minister

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M. Harianto, Tegar Nurfitra

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has maintained its policy of not importing rice for the past two years, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said, highlighting the country's resilience amid global uncertainties.

"Praise be to God, while the global food situation remains concerning, Indonesia has entered its second year without importing rice," he said at a press conference in Jakarta on Sunday.

Sulaiman noted that the Agriculture Ministry was working around the clock, underscoring the government's commitment to ensuring adequate food supplies for the country's approximately 286 million people.

He also highlighted his recent meeting with China's agriculture minister in Beijing, where both sides discussed cooperation to strengthen food security amid global challenges.

"We will cooperate in strengthening food security because the world is facing food and energy crises," the minister said.

He noted that countries around the world were grappling with disruptions to logistics networks and international trade amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

China continues to import around 6 million tons of food, he said, adding that at least 33 countries appeared to be restricting food exports to protect domestic supplies against potential external shocks.

Against this backdrop, Sulaiman assured the public that the government was implementing coordinated measures to shield Indonesia's food system from the effects of global disruptions.

"I repeat, this is our second year without importing rice under the administration of President Prabowo Subianto. We should be grateful that we have adequate rice stocks," he said.

Earlier reports indicated that Indonesia was well-positioned to withstand global uncertainties, supported by around 4.5 million metric tons of rice reserves held by state-run logistics agency Bulog as of the end of October.

The country was also projected to have approximately 10 million tons of rice from standing crops, along with another 10 million tons held by hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses.

In total, Indonesia was estimated to have roughly 25 million tons of rice, while national monthly consumption stood at around 2.5 million tons.

Rice is among eight commodities in which Indonesia has achieved self-sufficiency. The other seven are corn, consumer sugar, bird's eye chili, large red chili, eggs, chicken meat, and shallots.

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