Deputy Chairman of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of\nRepresentatives (DPR RI), Alex Indra Lukman, has urged the government to\nbegin formulating a roadmap for exporting rice produced by domestic\nfarmers. This follows the abundance of rice stocks reaching 3.53 million\ntonnes by the end of December 2025.<\/p>\n
\u2018The challenge we face today is to reduce production costs and\nimprove quality so we can compete with other rice-producing countries\nand seize opportunities in the global market,\u2019 Alex said in a statement\non Sunday (8 March 2026).<\/p>\n
Alex explained that to lower production costs for farmers, the\ninnovator from West Sumatra, Ir Djoni, has developed the Sawah Pokok\nMurah method. He said the harvest from this method is not inferior to\nconventional production.<\/p>\n
The Sawah Pokok Murah method does not involve soil tillage, which is\nthe largest cost component in farming. The method is said to require no\nchemical fertilisers or pesticides or fungicides.<\/p>\n
Moreover, he added, a dry-season climate does not pose a significant\nobstacle. He said the Sawah Pokok Murah method can reduce the risk of\ncrop failure due to weather.<\/p>\n
\u2018Although the topography is hilly\u2014thus lacking broad expanses of rice\nfields\u2014West Sumatra has long been self-sufficient in rice,\u2019 said the\nPDIP chairman for West Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\u2018With the Sawah Pokok Murah innovation, which has been implemented\nmassively in Agam Regency, Pesisir Selatan and Dharmasraya, production\ncosts are expected to be significantly lower than those of conventional\nmethods as currently practiced by farmers.\u2019<\/p>\n
Challenges to anticipate include broken grains (patahan) or small\nbroken pieces (menir). According to Alex, this issue requires government\nintervention through BRIN and the higher education sector via ongoing\nresearch.<\/p>\n
\u2018Currently, the rice Stabilisation of Supply and Food Prices (SPHP)\ncontains broken grains or specks at 25\u201340 percent, while rice from other\nrice-producing countries in Southeast Asia has a broken rate of about 5\npercent,\u2019 Alex noted.<\/p>\n
\u2018If this condition is not addressed promptly, penetrating the global\nrice market will be very difficult,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
If the global market cannot be penetrated, Alex warned, the food\nself-sufficiency programme, part of President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s Asta\nCita, will face significant hurdles. He believes the government must\nrise to the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u2018Currently, President has announced production increases, both\nthrough extensification and intensification of farming. Yet domestic\nabsorption has not increased significantly. What will happen to the\nabundant stock? This is a challenge that must be addressed soon,\u2019 he\nconcluded.<\/p>\n
(dwr\/gbr)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abundant-rice-stocks-push-dpr-commission-iv-to-urge-export-roadmap-1772968205", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }