Targeting 870,000 Hectares, Agriculture Minister Confirms President's Free Seedling Programme Will Continue
In an effort to strengthen food security and improve farmers’ welfare, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman is targeting a planting area of 870,000 hectares whilst continuing the free seedling distribution programme.
According to Media Indonesia monitoring on Thursday (30 July), the hot dry-season weather has not dampened the enthusiasm of farmers in Central Java to keep producing. Despite water shortages caused by shrinking river and irrigation sources, some of them are simply awaiting the harvest season.
Coinciding with President Prabowo Subianto’s inauguration of the revitalised Tawang Station in Semarang and his attendance at the national mass contract ceremony for 62,000 subsidised housing units and People’s Business Credit (KUR) in Batang, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman inspected the implementation of the free seedling distribution programme in Tulis District, Batang Regency, on Thursday (30 July).
The Agriculture Minister’s visit formed part of the government’s efforts to ensure that one of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programmes — the free seedling distribution — is properly targeted in order to boost the productivity of the national plantation sector.
“The government is currently running a major programme to distribute seedlings of six priority commodities to the public free of charge,” said Andi Amran Sulaiman.
According to Amran, the free seedling programme — covering coconut, sugarcane, cocoa, coffee, cashew, nutmeg, and pepper — aims for a planting target of 870,000 hectares across Indonesia, and is one of the national priorities to strengthen food security whilst improving the welfare of Indonesian farmers.
The government is not distributing the seedlings evenly across the board. The programme is carried out based on regional potential: areas with suitable agro-climatic conditions and communities with a long tradition of cultivating certain commodities will be prioritised so that the programme’s results are more optimal.
High market demand, Amran said, is one of the government’s bases for determining which commodities are developed in each region.
“For instance, in areas where there is high demand for coconut or sugarcane planting, we prioritise similar seedling assistance in those areas,” he added.
Following his inspection in Tulis District, Batang Regency, Amran said the programme had been running well and asked that seedling distribution continue for as long as the public still needs it, as the visit also served as a form of direct oversight of the implementation of the national strategic programme in the agricultural sector.
“The government hopes that the free seedling assistance can expand the planting area, boost the production of priority plantation commodities, and open up opportunities to increase farmers’ incomes in various regions,” said Andi Amran Sulaiman.
As many as 17 million free tree seedlings are targeted to be fully distributed to the public by the end of 2025.