Prabowo: Indonesia's Fuel Oil Will No Longer Depend on Imports, Can Come from Palm Oil and Sugarcane
President Prabowo Subianto has stated that Indonesia possesses significant potential to meet its fuel oil (BBM) requirements independently without relying on imports. According to him, such energy sources are not limited to crude oil but can also be derived from various crops cultivated domestically.
Prabowo made these remarks whilst inaugurating 218 bridges distributed across Indonesian territories, including in remote areas, during a virtual ceremony on Monday, 9 March 2026. Prabowo initially stated that the government has studied various data regarding Indonesia’s natural resource potential. From the findings of this analysis, he expressed optimism that Indonesia will be able to overcome various global challenges from a position of greater strength and self-reliance.
“My fellow citizens, I say once again that I have observed and studied the figures and data of our wealth. Every day we continue to discover new riches. We will face difficulties, and I will not hide that from you. But we have strength, and I believe we will emerge stronger. We will emerge from this crisis in a stronger and more prosperous condition, more productive, more able to stand on our own feet. We are deeply grateful for the blessings bestowed upon us by the Almighty,” Prabowo stated.
Additionally, Prabowo emphasised the importance of food security amid an uncertain global situation. According to him, amid conflicts occurring in various regions worldwide and rising energy prices that can affect food prices, Indonesia is in a relatively safe position.
Prabowo stated that food self-sufficiency has been one of the long-standing goals he has championed. He noted that Indonesia is currently nearly achieving food self-sufficiency, particularly in rice production as the staple food of the population.
“My fellow citizens, what I have championed for years is food self-sufficiency. In a situation of wars everywhere, in a situation where fuel oil prices have soared very high and can affect food prices, we are grateful that we are approaching food self-sufficiency. We have already achieved rice self-sufficiency, where rice is our staple food,” he said.
“But we will also soon attain the capacity to meet our protein requirements. No matter what happens where many other nations will face difficulties, at minimum we are secure regarding food issues,” Prabowo continued.
In the energy sector, Prabowo also emphasised that efforts towards energy self-sufficiency continue to be driven by his government. He mentioned that Indonesia possesses significant potential to produce fuel oil from plant-based energy sources, such as palm oil, cassava, maize, and sugarcane.
“The issue of fuel oil, which I have championed for years, concerns energy self-sufficiency. And we are blessed greatly by the Almighty in that we will later be able to meet our fuel oil requirements not from foreign imports, but even from our crops, from palm oil, from cassava, from maize, from sugarcane. My fellow citizens, we must work hard, we must be united, we must stand together in facing this crisis,” he said.