January 6, 2026 | 06:22 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has proudly declared that the country achieved rice self-sufficiency in 2025, a milestone he compared to the nation’s accomplishments during the era of former President Soeharto.
Prabowo announced the achievement during a cabinet retreat at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. He said the government “can officially declare that in 2025, the Republic of Indonesia achieved rice self-sufficiency.”
Food self-sufficiency is a key pillar of Prabowo’s policy agenda, alongside Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The president emphasized that achieving self-sufficiency in staple foods such as rice, as well as protein sources, is critical to supporting other national objectives, including energy independence.
Highlighting the speed of this accomplishment, Prabowo noted that rice self-sufficiency was achieved within just one year, ahead of the original four-year target he set at the beginning of his administration. “I initially set a four-year target for food sources, and we reached it in one,” he said.
Prabowo also warned of the risks of relying on rice imports from other countries, citing potential conflicts in major rice-producing nations like Thailand and Cambodia.
“Imagine if we were dependent on imports from conflict-affected countries, would we be safe?” he asked.
Comparing current achievements with historical benchmarks, the president said Indonesia now holds the highest rice reserves in the nation’s history, surpassing the Soeharto-era peak of 2 million tons in government warehouses.
Today, reserves total 3 million tons, reflecting what Prabowo described as the “hard work of all parties.”
The cabinet retreat in Hambalang was attended by coordinating ministers, ministers, deputy ministers, and heads of government agencies, with Vice President Gibran sitting beside the president.
State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi outlined several topics addressed during the retreat, including free nutritious school meals (MBG), food self-sufficiency, energy independence, and downstream industrial development programs such as Danantara.
He noted that all ministries were evaluated on their performance over the past year, and ongoing challenges were discussed in detail.
“There is no time limit for discussions at this retreat,” Prasetyo said.
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