Rice Production Rises, but April 2026 Paddy Harvest Drops by 15 Per Cent

The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has reported that national rice production from January to April 2026 reached 14.03 million tonnes. This figure represents a marginal increase of 0.12 per cent compared to the same period last year. Pudji Ismartini, the Deputy for Methodology and Statistical Information at BPS, stated that the rise in rice production aligns with an increase in paddy production, which reached 24.36 million tonnes of dry milled grain (GKG), growing by 0.12 per cent annually.

Despite the cumulative increase, production performance in April 2026 showed a decline compared to April of the previous year. The reduction in harvested area led to a drop in April 2026 paddy production to 7.63 million tonnes of GKG, down from 9.09 million tonnes of GKG in April 2025. Consequently, rice production for April 2026 was recorded at approximately 4.40 million tonnes, a 16 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year. BPS also anticipates that paddy production will continue to face pressure over the next three months. The potential paddy harvest area for May-July 2026 is estimated to reach 2.69 million hectares, a 0.65 per cent decrease from the previous year, with production expected to fall by 1.14 per cent to 13.75 million tonnes of GKG.

In addition to paddy, BPS reported developments in national maize production. In April 2026, the maize harvest area reached 0.24 million hectares, an increase of 4.90 per cent compared to April last year. This expansion in harvest area boosted the production of 14 per cent moisture content dry shelled maize (JPK KA 14 per cent) to 1.38 million tonnes, an 8.15 per cent annual increase, though the net growth was a mere 0.01 per cent compared to the previous year. For the May-July 2026 period, BPS estimates the maize harvest area will reach 0.65 million hectares, a 4.71 per cent decline from the previous year, with production expected to drop by 7.02 per cent to 3.74 million tonnes.