Nusron Limits Conversion of Paddy Fields to Ensure Food Security
Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Nusron Wahid has emphasised that food security is one of the national priorities amid unstable global geopolitical conditions. Therefore, the Ministry of ATR/BPN is limiting the conversion of paddy fields to a maximum of 11% of the total Raw Paddy Land (LBS), while the remaining approximately 89% must be protected.
“In the current global situation, the most critical issues are food and energy. We must not reach a point where we have money but no food to buy,” stated Nusron Wahid in a written statement on Wednesday (1/4/2026). He made this remark during a Coordination Meeting (Rakor) with local governments across Central Sulawesi in Palu, Central Sulawesi.
Nusron explained that the policy means only a small portion of paddy fields can be converted for non-agricultural purposes. Meanwhile, the majority of paddy fields must be maintained to ensure national food availability.
According to him, the policy is a derivative of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 12 of 2025 on the RPJMN 2025-2029, which requires at least 87% of the total LBS to be designated as Sustainable Agricultural Food Land (LP2B).
“If LP2B is 87%, plus infrastructure and reserves, it means approximately 89% must be protected,” he explained.
Specifically, Nusron highlighted the need to enhance the protection of agricultural land in Central Sulawesi. Currently, the LP2B realisation at the provincial level is around 68%, while at the regency/city level it is still in the range of 41%, far from the national target.
Nevertheless, the government continues to allow the conversion of paddy fields under certain conditions with strict requirements. One of them is the obligation to provide replacement land in accordance with regulations, including up to three times the amount for technical irrigation land.
In the coordination meeting attended by the Governor of Central Sulawesi Anwar Hafid and regency/city heads across Central Sulawesi, Nusron also handed over certificates of government-owned assets. A total of 103 Certificates of Right of Use belonging to eight regencies/cities in Central Sulawesi were delivered on that occasion.
In the agenda, Nusron was accompanied by Director General of Spatial Planning Suyus Windayana, Special Staff for Agrarian Reform Rezka Oktoberia, Expert Staff for Public Communication Rahmat Sahid, and the Head of the Regional Office of BPN for Central Sulawesi Province Muhammad Naim along with his staff.