President Appreciates Agriculture Minister Amran, Gotong Royong Drives Indonesia's Self-Sufficiency

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has expressed appreciation to Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman and the Ministry of Agriculture for their hard work and spirit of gotong royong in accelerating the realisation of national food self-sufficiency.

“The Minister of Agriculture with his entire staff, agricultural extension workers, supported by many other ministries, supported by regional governments, supported by the TNI and Polri. All of this, with the spirit of gotong royong, has achieved a feat recognised by the world,” said President Prabowo at the 2026 Annual Session of the MPR RI and the Joint Session of the DPR-DPD RI in Jakarta, Friday.

Through regulatory reform, easier access to fertiliser, and strengthened production, the government succeeded in accelerating the self-sufficiency target, originally set at four years, to just one year.

President Prabowo assessed that Indonesia’s food achievement is the result of joint work driven by the Ministry of Agriculture with the support of extension workers, regional governments, ministries and agencies, the TNI, Polri, and farmers throughout Indonesia.

The President stressed that this achievement did not emerge from easy conditions. When his administration received its mandate, farmers still faced a number of fundamental problems, ranging from fertiliser that was difficult to obtain, grain prices that often fell at harvest time, to convoluted bureaucracy.

The government then chose to dismantle these obstacles so that policies to increase production could move more quickly and the benefits reach farmers.

“When we received the mandate, farmers still faced fertiliser that was difficult to obtain, grain prices that fell every harvest, convoluted regulations. We must be brave enough to face difficulties and find solutions,” said the President.

One of the breakthroughs made was the deregulation of subsidised fertiliser governance. A total of 145 regulations that previously hampered the fertiliser distribution chain were cut and simplified into a single Presidential Regulation.

This change is part of the government’s efforts to ensure fertiliser is obtained more quickly and easily by farmers while eliminating bureaucratic obstacles that could disrupt production.

According to the President, such reform is necessary because bureaucracy should be an instrument of service, not something that slows down policies needed by the public. He stressed that this principle must be upheld by all levels of government, both central and regional.

“The state must make things easier for the people, not more difficult,” he asserted.

The fertiliser reform then proceeded alongside various production acceleration policies implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The government strengthened water and irrigation availability, encouraged increased planting area and intensity, provided production facilities and infrastructure, maintained harvest prices, and mobilised cross-sector collaboration to oversee food production from the centre to the regions.

These measures were directed at meeting the food self-sufficiency target given by President Prabowo to Minister Amran. The initial four-year target was continuously accelerated until the government was finally able to realise it in just one year.

As a result, the President said Indonesia has now achieved self-sufficiency in eight strategic commodities, namely rice, corn, consumption sugar, chicken meat, chicken eggs, shallots, large chillies, and bird’s eye chillies.

This achievement becomes increasingly important as the world still faces uncertainty in food production due to climate change and the threat of extreme weather. President Prabowo assessed that Indonesia is now in a stronger position to face these pressures.

“We, alhamdulillah, can report to this assembly that regarding food, regarding food for the Indonesian people, we are in a safe condition and we will be able to face challenges including the El Nino challenge,” he said.

For the President, this success is not merely about increased production. Self-sufficiency is part of the nation’s ability to stand on its own strength while guaranteeing the most basic needs of its people.

“A strong nation is a nation capable of feeding its own people,” he said.

Therefore, President Prabowo’s appreciation to Minister Amran and all agricultural personnel also serves as an affirmation that food success is the result of policy orchestration and gotong royong work.

Deregulation has accelerated services, fertiliser has become more accessible, production facilities have been strengthened, farmers have received protection, while the central and regional governments have moved together to safeguard production.

Ahead of the 81st Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, the President reminded that a nation’s success must ultimately be reflected in its ability to deliver prosperity for its people.

“Our task is not merely to keep the Republic standing. Our task is to ensure that this Republic succeeds as a nation, that this Republic succeeds in having the ability to be present among the people and deliver prosperity for all Indonesian people,” said the President.