Corn Production in March 2026 Drops 14 Percent, What Are the Prospects?

JAKARTA — National corn production in early 2026 shows a year-on-year downward trend, in line with the shrinking harvested area during the same period. On the other hand, the government is beginning to strengthen policy interventions to maintain prices and absorb farmers’ production through the reinforcement of national corn reserves. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that the harvested area for corn kernels in March 2026 was recorded at 0.25 million hectares. Accordingly, dry corn kernel production with 14 percent moisture content in March 2026 is estimated to reach 1.40 million tonnes, down 0.23 million tonnes or 14.23 percent from March 2025, which was 1.64 million tonnes. Although there is a decline in March 2026, BPS notes potential production increases in the following months. The potential harvested area for corn kernels from April to June 2026 is estimated at 0.66 million hectares, with potential production of around 3.77 million tonnes (14 percent moisture content). Meanwhile, total dry corn kernel production with 14 percent moisture content from January to June 2026 is estimated at 8.33 million tonnes, down 2.69 percent from the same period the previous year at 8.56 million tonnes. Looking more closely by region, BPS data shows differences in production performance across provinces for the January–June 2026 period. Nationally, dry corn kernel production with 14 percent moisture content is recorded at 8.33 million tonnes, down 230,481 tonnes from the same period in 2025 at 8.56 million tonnes. However, several major production centres experienced declines. East Java recorded a drop of around 310,334 tonnes, while Central Java dropped by around 173,758 tonnes compared to the same period the previous year. On the other hand, some regions recorded production increases. Lampung saw a rise of 185,862 tonnes to 833.55 thousand tonnes. North Sumatra also increased by 59,842 tonnes to 714.77 thousand tonnes.