House Commission IV appreciates efforts towards national garlic self-sufficiency
House of Representatives Commission IV Chair Titiek Soeharto has expressed appreciation for efforts to accelerate national garlic self-sufficiency undertaken by the National Police and the Ministry of Agriculture.
“We appreciate the National Police, particularly the Police Task Force for Accelerating National Garlic Self-Sufficiency. This includes the Minister of Agriculture, who has succeeded in achieving self-sufficiency in various food products,” Titiek said at a mass garlic harvest in Sembalun, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday.
Titiek stressed that Commission IV has an oversight function in the food sector, including monitoring government policy.
“Garlic planting and harvesting activities are concrete evidence of efforts to support the government’s strategic agenda in food security,” she said.
She highlighted the history of Indonesia’s garlic self-sufficiency. In 1994, Indonesia was able to achieve garlic self-sufficiency. However, the current situation has reversed, with around 90 percent of demand still met through imports.
“We were once self-sufficient; why are we no longer able to be self-sufficient now? The most important thing is that conditions match the President’s promise. This self-sufficiency cannot be achieved by one party alone but requires the involvement of all parties according to their respective roles,” she said.
To that end, Titiek emphasised the self-sufficiency programme through sustainable garlic planting across all regions of Indonesia, including in Sembalun District, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara.
The mass garlic harvest centred in Sembalun District, East Lombok Regency, was attended by Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, Bulog Director Rizal Ramdhani, and West Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Inspector General Kalingga Rendra Raharja.
The National Police, in synergy with various parties, has secured verified land potential totalling 2,593 hectares spread across 17 regional police commands to support the acceleration of garlic self-sufficiency. The programme empowers 117 farmer groups involving 2,257 farmers.
Of that area, 927.6 hectares have been planted with projected production reaching 9,276 tonnes.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, garlic planting was carried out simultaneously in 14 regional police commands on 279.5 hectares of land. The planting is projected to yield around 2,795 tonnes of garlic that can be harvested in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, three other regional police commands will carry out planting according to the planting season in their respective regions.