Agriculture Minister Amran Says Indonesia's Food Reserves Are Safe for Up to 324 Days

An Agriculture Minister (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman assured that the government has prepared a long-standing strategy for food security to face various potential global crises. According to Amran, the strategy had been drafted since the early days of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration as an anticipatory measure against unsettled geopolitical situations, including tensions in the Hormuz Strait area and the impact of the Israel–Iran conflict. He said that various possible risks to the national agricultural sector had been calculated beforehand, including the worst-case scenarios that could occur. ‘We have calculated all of this, so we prepared from now—no, when he was sworn in. That’s why we remain calm,’ Amran said, quoted from Kompas.com, Friday (6 March 2026). In addition, there are still rice stocks in various sectors, including production on farming land of around 10–11 million tonnes, and reserves in hotels, restaurants, and catering estimated at 12 million tonnes. With these conditions, Amran assessed that national food reserves are at a safe level and are expected to be able to meet demand for up to 324 days ahead. ‘Our food security remains secure; our stock is enough to cover up to 324 days,’ Amran said. Amran estimated national rice production in May 2026 would reach around 5 million tonnes. ‘So God willing, the food is safe,’ he said. The El Niño phenomenon is forecast to trigger a dry season in several parts of Indonesia. To anticipate this, the government is expanding the construction of irrigation pumping systems (irpom) to safeguard water availability on agricultural land. ‘The drought potential has been anticipated from the outset through pumping. Last year 1.2 million hectares, and this year we will add another 1 million hectares to keep production stable,’ Amran said, citing pertanian.go.id. ‘Fertiliser is sufficient and prices have fallen by around 20 percent. This is a major motivation for farmers to keep planting,’ he said. In addition, the public is urged not to worry about the availability of animal protein. The supply of chicken and eggs is said to be abundant, so domestic needs can be met.