Anticipating El Nino Godzilla, Government Ensures 10 Months of Food Security
President Prabowo Subianto summoned the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, to the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (18/6) to ensure the readiness of national food reserves. This strategic move is taken as a form of total anticipation against the threat of the extreme climate phenomenon, El Niño Godzilla.
Following the meeting, Minister Amran emphasised that Indonesia’s food security is currently in a safe condition. Based on Ministry of Agriculture data as of June 2026, national rice reserves managed by the government have reached 5.2 million tonnes.
“Furthermore, rice in hotels, homes, and restaurants totals approximately 12.5 million tonnes. This means that with these reserves, all three categories can last for the next 10 to 11 months. If we assume the lowest estimate is 10 months, it means until April (2027),” Amran stated in Jakarta.
In addition to securing stocks, the government has prepared a series of mitigation steps through the strengthening of agricultural infrastructure. The main focus is directed towards the construction of small dams, pump irrigation, deep wells, and the optimisation of swamp lands (opla) to increase harvest frequency.
The government is also accelerating downstreaming programmes in the horticulture sector, such as sugarcane, coconut, and coffee. Meanwhile, in the livestock sector, strategic coordination is being conducted with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to maintain the price stability of eggs and poultry at the farmer level.
As a form of tangible support, the government is continuing the distribution of direct assistance and grants for agricultural machinery (alsintan). One of the primary development focuses targets the Papua region, with a target area of 870,000 hectares.
Amran explained that the assistance budget for the Papua region in the 2026 fiscal year has surged to IDR 3.2 trillion, a significant increase from the previous year’s allocation of IDR 2 trillion.
“We reported to the President, and he said to continue this assistance. This is direct assistance to the people. Grants for tractors, paddy fields, and even several provinces have requested additional rice field printing, including West Papua. We are increasing this,” he concluded.