Coordinating Ministry for Food Initiates Soybean Pilot Project in Cariu
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Food has commenced a 25-hectare soybean planting pilot project in Cariu District, Bogor Regency, to establish an integrated soybean development model and boost domestic production.
“This programme is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen domestic soybean production while simultaneously reducing the high dependency on imports, which currently stands at approximately 95 per cent of national requirements,” said Gunawan, Head of the General Bureau and Public Relations at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, in an official statement received in Jakarta on Saturday.
The project, launched on 3 September 2026, is the result of coordination between the Coordinating Ministry for Food, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL), the Bogor Regency Government, PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), and the Indonesian Tempeh and Tofu Producer Cooperatives Union (Gakoptindo).
The area of the pilot project is projected to increase from 25 hectares to 100 hectares by 2027.
According to ministry data, domestic soybean production in 2025 was approximately 79,000 tonnes, whereas national demand reached 2.72 million tonnes. Soybean requirements are projected to rise from around 2.79 million tonnes in 2026 to approximately 3 million tonnes by 2029.
Gunawan explained that one of the programme’s objectives is to increase the availability of high-quality soybean seeds to support the expansion of planting in subsequent years.
“The implementation of the Soybean Planting Pilot Project in Cariu is not only aimed at increasing soybean production but also serves as an initial step in building an integrated soybean area development model from upstream to downstream,” he said.
Programme coordination is conducted through the Assistant Deputy for Increasing the Competitiveness of Food Crop Products under the Deputy for Coordination of Food and Agricultural Business at the Coordinating Ministry for Food.
Cultivation support provided includes superior seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, water pumps, and tractors.
On the downstream side, Gakoptindo serves as the partner for absorbing the harvest. Soybeans from Cariu will be used both as a seed source and to meet the raw material needs of the tofu and tempeh industries.
“The certainty of harvest absorption is expected to provide market guarantees and increase business certainty for farmers,” said Gunawan.
With this guaranteed absorption, farmers receive support not only during the production process but also have certainty regarding the marketing of their harvests.
The Coordinating Ministry for Food hopes that the collaboration model in Cariu can be replicated in other regions with soybean development potential, so that domestic production increases gradually and national food independence is strengthened.
The government targets the development of 50,000 hectares of soybean planting area in 2026. In a presentation by the Coordinating Ministry for Food in July 2026, recorded planting realisation reached 2,956 hectares, while production up to May 2026 reached 7,691 tonnes from a harvested area of 5,048 hectares.
According to Gunawan, production strengthening is also directed through the seed system. By the end of 2025, soybean seed breeding was conducted on 1,420 hectares, producing 5,680 tonnes of potential seeds, 3,550 tonnes of which were certified seeds.