Top 10 Corn-Producing Provinces: Java vs Eastern Indonesia

Indonesia’s corn production began to strengthen entering the second quarter of 2026. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that production of dry shelled corn with 14% moisture content (JPK-KA14) in May 2026 reached 1.18 million tonnes, up 19.79% compared to May of the previous year. The harvested area in the same month also increased to 0.21 million hectares, or a 22.04% rise year-on-year. The increase in May marked a turning point after the harvest had been lower in March and April. However, cumulatively, this recovery has not yet altered the overall picture for the year. Up to August 2026, the national harvested area is estimated to reach 1.97 million hectares, a slight decrease of 0.49% compared to the same period last year. Conversely, production is estimated to remain steady at 11.43 million tonnes, or an increase of approximately 2,358 tonnes compared to January-August 2025. The national harvest has been relatively maintained despite a slight contraction in the harvested area. In other words, additional production in some regions has been able to offset declines in other areas. BPS also estimates that the harvest season will continue. In the June-August 2026 period, the potential harvested area is estimated to reach 0.72 million hectares, with a potential production of 4.23 million tonnes of JPK-KA14. This figure is indeed slightly lower than the potential in the same period the previous year, so the actual harvest in the coming months will determine the direction of corn production throughout 2026. East Java remains the national corn hub. The map of Indonesian corn production is still dominated by Java. East Java maintains its position as the largest producer with an estimated production of 2.81 million tonnes of JPK-KA14 during January-August 2026. This figure accounts for almost a quarter of national production. The next positions are occupied by Central Java with 1.60 million tonnes, Lampung with 1.14 million tonnes, South Sulawesi with 1.04 million tonnes, and North Sumatra with 1.03 million tonnes. These five provinces are the backbone of the national corn supply. Despite still leading, East Java and Central Java are experiencing a correction compared to last year. East Java’s production decreased by approximately 211.8 thousand tonnes, while Central Java’s fell by 251.6 thousand tonnes. Lampung moved in a different direction. This province’s production increased by 247.5 thousand tonnes, the largest absolute increase in Indonesia. North Sumatra also recorded an additional nearly 80 thousand tonnes, while South Sulawesi rose by about 16.5 thousand tonnes. The largest harvested areas remain concentrated. The same pattern is visible in terms of harvested area. East Java has the largest harvested area with 490,549 hectares, followed by Central Java with 278,074 hectares, Lampung with 174,762 hectares, South Sulawesi with 170,733 hectares, and North Sumatra with 159,994 hectares. However, an interesting shift is occurring. East Java’s harvested area fell by almost 39.6 thousand hectares compared to last year, and Central Java’s decreased by 38.8 thousand hectares. On the other hand, Lampung added 36.7 thousand hectares to its harvested area, the largest increase among all provinces. South Sumatra and West Java also recorded increases in harvested area, albeit on a smaller scale. These changes indicate that production growth is beginning to shift outside traditional centres. Lampung is the clearest example, as the increase in its harvested area has been accompanied by a surge in production. During January-May 2026, 86.51% of the corn harvested area came from shelled corn harvests. This proportion increased from 84.24% in the same period last year. Meanwhile, the harvested area for forage corn and young corn declined. This composition points towards a growing portion of the crop being harvested to the shelled phase, which is the primary raw material for the animal feed industry.