Facing Godzilla El Niño, Agriculture Minister: Rice Stock is Safe

The prolonged dry spell and extreme temperatures, or Godzilla El Niño, are projected to hit Indonesia starting in April 2026. Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has assured that the national food stock is in a safe condition.

Amran stated that Godzilla El Niño is predicted to affect Indonesia for six months. However, Amran urged the public not to worry about food stocks. “Our rice stock as of today is 4.9 million tonnes, predicted to meet needs for 11 months. It’s safe,” said Amran during a visit to the Bulog Banjar Kemantren Warehouse in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Sunday, 19 April 2026.

Amran continued that the availability of food ingredients for the hotel, restaurant, and café industry (horeka) is recorded at 12.5 million tonnes. Additionally, the standing crop area amounts to 11 million tonnes.

Amran also said that rice stocks will reach 5 million tonnes by the end of this month. This means that national food availability reaches 28 million tonnes, sufficient to face the impacts of extreme weather.

He also confirmed that the government has anticipated the impacts of the Godzilla El Niño phenomenon with various strategies, such as pompanisasi or the installation of water pumps for agricultural land and education for farmers.

In the agricultural support sector, Amran assured that the government is also preparing special fuel policies for farmers amounting to 1 million kilolitres and fertiliser since the beginning of this year. In fact, fertiliser prices are claimed to have dropped by up to 20 percent. “Fertiliser has been prepared since January, and we have also increased the volume,” said Amran.

Therefore, Amran is optimistic that Indonesia can face the extreme heat that will occur in the coming months. Moreover, the government is also assisting farmers to increase production.