Ministry of Agriculture Accelerates Simultaneous Rice Planting in 25 Provinces to Boost Production

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) is accelerating simultaneous planting over 50,000 hectares in 25 provinces as a swift measure to maintain national food production, while responding to the threat of the dry season and accelerating the recovery of disaster-impacted lands. “This simultaneous rice planting movement covers optimised land (oplah), community paddy field creation (CSR), and disaster-affected areas, with the main activity site in Agam Regency, West Sumatra,” said the Head of the Agricultural Extension and Human Resources Development Agency (BPPSDMP) of Kementan, Idha Widi Arsanti, in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday. She explained that the movement involves 25 provinces with a total area of 50,000 hectares, spread across 2024 oplah locations covering 20,000 hectares, 2025 oplah covering 23,000 hectares, 2025 CSR covering 5,000 hectares, plus disaster rehabilitation sites covering 2,026 hectares. “The acceleration of planting must be maintained with strong field oversight. Extension workers together with farmers are key to ensuring that ready lands are planted promptly and yield optimal results,” she said. She also added that the utilisation of agricultural tools and machinery (alsintan) is an important part in supporting the acceleration of planting in various regions. Separately, Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman, attending virtually, expressed appreciation to all involved parties, from local governments, farmers, extension workers, to regional officials. “Thank you to the governors, regents, farmers, extension workers, and apparatus ranks. This is a collective commitment to strengthen food self-sufficiency. We continue to encourage simultaneous planting throughout Indonesia,” he said. The Minister also emphasised that the development of new planting areas through the paddy field creation programme and land optimisation will continue to be expanded as part of the national production enhancement strategy. Meanwhile, the Secretary General of Kementan, Suwandi, stressed that accelerating planting is one of the main strategies in anticipating potential drought during the 2026 dry season. “We have prepared mitigation steps. From climate data monitoring, mapping drought-prone areas, accelerating planting, pump irrigation, to strengthening water infrastructure,” said Suwandi. Several key strategies being promoted include accelerating simultaneous rice planting at the end of the rainy season to maximise water availability, massive pump irrigation to support water supply to agricultural lands, and optimising swamp lands to maintain productivity when rainfed lands experience drought. In addition, the use of drought-resistant seeds is being encouraged to increase plant resilience to heat stress and water limitations, as well as building water infrastructure such as reservoirs, long storage, and bore wells to strengthen field water reserves. With synergy between central and regional governments, Kementan is optimistic that this simultaneous planting movement will accelerate production increases, maintain national food availability, and strengthen food security in facing various challenges, including climate change.