House Leadership: Agriculture Ministry's Budget Reallocation for Disaster Relief Sets Example
House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad praised Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman’s swift action in managing and reallocating budget funds for post-disaster recovery in Sumatra.
According to Dasco, Amran’s approach deserves to serve as a model for other ministries and state institutions.
“Thank you to the Agriculture Minister for preparing more than sufficient rice supplies for our compatriots in the disaster areas, as well as for the budget reallocations deemed feasible to temporarily meet needs — something that could be emulated by other ministries,” Dasco said in a written statement on Wednesday (18 February 2026).
In his presentation, Amran, who also serves as head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), outlined that assistance for affected areas comprised regular aid through Bapanas worth approximately Rp 1 trillion, along with non-regular assistance through partners and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Kementan Peduli programme totalling Rp 75.8 billion.
In addition, the Agriculture Ministry took the strategic step of reallocating regular budget funds to accelerate agricultural sector recovery. The total recovery budget requirement is estimated at Rp 4.7 trillion.
Of that amount, the Ministry has already reallocated Rp 1.4 trillion from its regular budget.
“With the leadership’s permission, we have conveyed this to Bappenas and the Finance Minister. We are using Rp 1.49 trillion of our regular budget in 2025, then reallocating funds in 2026, and still require an additional Rp 2.1 trillion for 2026 and Rp 1.1 trillion for 2027,” Amran said.
“The total is Rp 4.7 trillion, but we have already shifted Rp 1.4 trillion from the Agriculture Ministry’s regular budget,” he added.
During the session, Amran also confirmed food availability in the affected areas. Rice stocks for disaster-hit regions stand at approximately 100,000 tonnes, equivalent to three months of local consumption needs.
“We wish to report that rice stocks on the ground total roughly 100,000 tonnes, or enough for three months of local needs. God willing, the agricultural sector, particularly food availability on the ground, is sufficient for the next three months,” Amran said.
Amran also reported on the progress of rehabilitating paddy fields damaged by the disaster in Sumatra. Of 94,000 hectares of damaged paddy land, some 39,000 hectares have already been replanted.
“The extent of damaged paddy fields stands at 94,000 hectares. As of today, we have dispatched supplies and replanted approximately 39,000 hectares,” Amran said.
Amran also noted that recovery progress has shown encouraging results. In Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, land buried by landslides was found to contain fertile humus, meaning only irrigation repairs were needed before replanting could proceed.
“There is encouraging news. For the damaged paddy fields undergoing rehabilitation, the landslide soil is actually humus and quite fertile, so we only need to repair the irrigation before proceeding directly with planting,” Amran explained.
Amran emphasised that with accelerated rehabilitation and flexible budget support, the agricultural sector — particularly food supply — remains secure. National food stocks are in a strong position, reaching 3.5 million tonnes.
The Agriculture Ministry’s swift and measured steps in ensuring food availability whilst accelerating the recovery of affected farmland demonstrate the government’s efforts to maintain national food stability amid the emergency situation.
Synergy between the central government, the House of Representatives, and various stakeholders is expected to further strengthen food resilience whilst accelerating economic recovery for disaster-affected communities.