Indonesia Reaches Rice and Corn Self-Sufficiency, Says Government

Jakarta – Indonesia’s National Food Agency (Bapanas) reaffirmed the country’s strong food resilience, emphasizing that the majority of domestic consumption needs are met by local production. This robust domestic supply, officials said, has ensured stable national stocks and market resilience amid global geopolitical tensions and the threat of El Niño.

“The resilience of Indonesia’s strategic food sector remains strong, as most of our population’s consumption needs are supported by domestic production,” said Bapanas Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, on Sunday in Jakarta.

According to the 2026 National Food Balance Projection, prepared jointly by Bapanas and related ministries, out of ten strategic food commodities, only three still require imports. For staples such as rice, corn, shallots, chili, broiler chicken meat, chicken eggs, and sugar, Indonesia is projected to be fully self-sufficient, requiring no imports for domestic consumption next year.

“We have at least ten commodities already produced domestically,” Ketut noted.

He highlighted that national rice production has shown remarkable performance, with output in the previous year reaching 34.7 million tons. This achievement is further supported by a carry-over stock into 2026 of about 12 million tons.

The government aims to further strengthen national rice availability in 2026, projecting that the carry-over stock for 2027 could reach up to 16 million tons—a level considered high and reflective of even greater food resilience. The projection is based on calculations of 12.4 million tons of opening stocks plus annual production of 34.7 million tons, minus annual consumption needs of 31.1 million tons.

The government has also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting local rice farmers by mandating state-owned enterprise Perum Bulog to continue grain absorption programs directly from domestic harvests.

Currently, Bulog’s rice reserves exceed 4 million tons, and the agency plans to absorb another 4 million tons this year, all sourced domestically without any imported rice since 2025.

“Our grain production looks excellent, and Bulog’s stock currently stands at over 4 million tons,” Ketut said.

Beyond rice, feed corn has also reached self-sufficiency since Indonesia completely halted corn feed imports in 2025. Other staple foods, including broiler chicken meat, chicken eggs, chili, and shallots, are also fully supplied from domestic yields.

“We only import two or three major commodities — mainly soybeans, garlic, and a limited amount of beef,” Ketut added.

Nonetheless, the government continues efforts to strengthen local production for commodities that are not yet fully independent. The Ministry of Agriculture has kicked off various acceleration programs to increase the output of these key foods.

“We’ve begun boosting production. The Minister of Agriculture is leading efforts to expand garlic and soybean cultivation, as well as improving milk production and other areas,” Ketut explained.

Earlier, Bapanas Head and concurrently Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman declared that Indonesia had achieved food self-sufficiency, particularly in foods supplying carbohydrates and proteins. This milestone, he said, underscores Indonesia’s ability to meet national dietary needs domestically without reliance on imports.

“We are already self-sufficient in food, both protein and carbohydrates — the essential nutrients our body needs. That’s where we stand today,” Amran told Commission IV of the House of Representatives during a hearing on April 7 in Jakarta.

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