Agriculture Minister Reveals Cause of Low Sugar Production: 70-80 Percent of Sugarcane Ratoons Damaged

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman stated that domestic sugarcane production is low because 70-80 percent of its ratoons are unfit or even damaged.

Amran conveyed this information during a working meeting with Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) while explaining issues related to national sugar productivity and governance.

“We found after checking that 70-80 percent are damaged, so they are not viable,” said Amran at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (8/4/2026).

Ratoon refers to sugarcane plants that regrow from the remaining stalks or roots after previous harvesting.

Amran said that when he served as a Field Agricultural Extension Officer (PPL) in the sugar sector decades ago, he had already encountered problems in sugarcane plantations, one of which was ratoon.

“That 80 percent is ratoon aged 10 or 7, meaning 7 years, 10, or even 20 years, but it reverts to ratoon 4,” said Amran.

He claimed to have toured with a team from PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) and found data showing sugarcane productivity in 1930 reached 14 tons of sugar per hectare.

However, after independence, sugarcane plantation productivity declined and only produced 4.9 tons per hectare.

“Why? There is an interconnection here,” said Amran.

“Now, because the ratoons are old and not maintained, we should dismantle 25 percent every year; that’s essential if we want high productivity. But only 10 percent is dismantled and so on,” Amran continued.

To address this issue, the government is disbursing Rp 1.7 trillion in state revenue and expenditure budget (APBN) grants to dismantle community ratoons.

“The solution is that we have taken steps together with the private sector and PTPN; we have budgeted for 100,000 hectares in one year,” said Amran.

According to him, if this programme is implemented consistently, Indonesia could achieve self-sufficiency in white sugar by 2027.

“If this is consistent, by 2027 we will have self-sufficiency in white sugar, and then we continue to the industry,” he said.

For information, the government records that from a harvested area of 563,000 hectares in 2025 and productivity of 4.7 tons per hectare, it produced 2.67 million tons of white crystal sugar.

Meanwhile, domestic consumption needs are 2.8 million tons for consumption and 3.9 million tons for industry.

“Thus, we still need 4.03 million tons,” said Amran.