Amran Reveals Prabowo's Directive Before Japan Trip: Is E20 No Longer a Dream?

The government is preparing to accelerate biofuel development in response to the intensifying global geopolitical conflicts, including the war between Iran and Israel. Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman stated that this step is a direct instruction from President Prabowo Subianto to promote national energy independence. “This is the follow-up to the President’s directive during our meeting last week, before he departed for Japan and South Korea,” Amran said during a press conference at his office in Jakarta on Monday (30/3/2026). One of the main focuses is the development of E20, a blend of petrol with 20% ethanol derived from corn, sugarcane, and cassava. “Our dream is E20. What is E20? A 20% ethanol blend with petrol. From where? Corn, cassava, and sugarcane. All of these can grow in Indonesia,” he explained. Amran emphasised that E20 is projected to replace fuels such as Pertalite and Pertamax. “Yes, it will replace them. That’s not electric vehicles yet. But that’s another department, another ministry. What we’re discussing is energy from biofuel, from plant-based sources,” he stressed. He also assured that raw materials are sufficient, including from sugarcane molasses that has previously been exported. “Our raw materials that we export. There’s 1 million tonnes of it. That’s molasses or sugarcane syrup. This can be turned into 300,000 tonnes of ethanol,” he said. In addition to E20, the government is continuing the palm oil biodiesel programme, including the B50 target to halt diesel imports. “The President’s promise that we will stop diesel imports, replaced by B50 palm biofuel. That’s 5.3 million tonnes. This year, we won’t import. And that’s done,” Amran said. According to him, the geopolitical situation presents an opportunity to strengthen national energy and food independence. “Now we’re accelerating. There’s wisdom in this. The heating geopolitical conditions have benefits for Indonesia,” he stated. Meanwhile, Deputy Agriculture Minister Sudaryono added that efforts to reduce energy imports have actually been underway through the biodiesel programme. “This is an additional special task and indeed planned from the beginning before the war, where the President wants us to reduce our energy import burden, which we’ve proven with B40, we no longer import diesel,” Sudaryono said on the same occasion. He is optimistic that biofuel-based energy independence can soon be realised. “And, God willing, what is called energy self-sufficiency is no longer a slogan that we always chant but can’t, never realise,” he concluded.