HKTI: Field conditions prove ample rice stocks, strong self-sufficiency

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Bachtiar Utomo, the Daily Chairman of the Indonesian Farmers’ Harmony Association (HKTI), stated that the conditions on the ground, showing abundant government rice reserves (CBP), strengthen optimism regarding the achievement of self-sufficiency in that commodity. “The government does not operate based on assumptions. The facts on the ground show that government rice reserves are in a very strong condition. Warehouses are optimally filled and distribution is well monitored,” Bachtiar said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday. Bachtiar assessed that various criticisms doubting the achievement of rice self-sufficiency do not align with the real conditions on the ground. The statement was made in response to the ongoing polemic, including criticism from an observer with the initials FA, which was deemed not to reflect the actual facts of the national agricultural sector. According to Bachtiar, the direct visit by President Prabowo Subianto along with Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono to several Bulog warehouses serves as concrete evidence of the national food situation. In addition, Bachtiar also highlighted the significant increase in national production. Over the past year, rice production has experienced a substantial surge, driven by the expansion of planting areas, improvements in irrigation infrastructure, and policies that are more favourable to farmers. “This is not just numbers on paper. Production has increased substantially, harvests have grown, and farmers are directly feeling the impact,” he emphasised. Furthermore, he stated that the combination of abundant stocks and continuously increasing production serves as a strong indicator that Indonesia is on the right track towards rice self-sufficiency. “If stocks are full and production is rising, then the direction of self-sufficiency is no longer just discourse, but a process that is underway and increasingly approaching the target,” Bachtiar continued.