Situbondo focuses on agriculture-based economic development
Situbondo (ANTARA) - The Government of Situbondo Regency, East Java, is currently focusing economic development on the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors, or an agriculture-based economy.
Situbondo Bupati Yusuf Rio Wahyu Prayogo stated that agriculture is the main pillar of economic growth in Situbondo, even though the ‘City of Santri’ has a fairly long coastline.
‘The main strategy for improving the economy in the region does not have to rely on land expansion, but can also be achieved through increasing production capacity via modernisation and the involvement of the younger generation or millennial farmers,’ he said during a capacity and institutional strengthening event for food clusters attended by a hundred millennial farmers at Pendopo Pate Alos Besuki, Situbondo Regency, East Java, Monday.
Bupati Rio admitted he is optimistic that rice production in Situbondo this year (2026) could reach up to 500,000 tonnes of dry unhusked rice, surpassing the 2026 dry unhusked rice production target of around 312,000 tonnes. This increase in rice production is evidenced by crop-cutting results from rice farming land in Situbondo District reaching more than 9 tonnes per hectare.
He revealed that compared to previous crop-cutting results, the average rice production in Situbondo Regency was only around 5-7 tonnes per hectare.
‘Earlier we received information from the District Head that the crop-cutting results for rice farming land in Situbondo Town District have reached 9 tonnes, and this proves that without increasing the land area, rice productivity can actually be increased,’ said Bupati Rio.
Information obtained by ANTARA confirms that rice production in Situbondo throughout 2025 reached 321,723 tonnes with a rice planting area of 65,133 hectares, exceeding the target set by the Ministry of Agriculture of 241,266 tonnes.
The achievement of rice production in 2025 serves as proof of the seriousness and commitment of the local government in making the agricultural sector a priority programme, aligning with the central government’s vision to strengthen national food security.