Indonesia Aims for Sugar Self-Sufficiency in Two Years with Accelerated Replanting Program

Indonesia's Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, has pledged to expedite the national sugarcane replanting program, aiming to achieve sugar self-sufficiency within a swift two-year timeframe. This ambitious target is a direct directive from President Prabowo Subianto, who seeks to bolster national food independence.

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We are ready to run the President's directive. All ranks of the Ministry of Agriculture will work maximally with regional governments, SOEs, businesses, and farmers to realize the target of sugar self-sufficiency within two years.

"We are ready to execute the President's directive. All ranks of the Ministry of Agriculture will work maximally with regional governments, state-owned enterprises, businesses, and farmers to realize the target of sugar self-sufficiency within two years," Sulaiman stated. The acceleration strategy includes modernizing cultivation practices, enhancing productivity, deploying superior seed varieties, increasing agricultural mechanization, and strengthening collaborations with farmers and the sugar industry. These measures are crucial not only for boosting domestic sugar production and reducing import reliance but also for directly improving the livelihoods of sugarcane farmers across Indonesia.

President Prabowo Subianto had initially set a four-year goal for sugar self-sufficiency. However, during a recent event in Malang, East Java, he revealed that Minister Sulaiman, after reviewing the program, confidently proposed accelerating the timeline. "The Minister of Agriculture reported to me that our current program is 100,000 hectares per year. This would achieve self-sufficiency in four years. But after I asked him again, he bravely said, 'Sir, we can do it in two years,'" the President recounted, expressing his appreciation for the minister's bold commitment.

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The Minister of Agriculture reported to me that our current program is 100,000 hectares per year. This would achieve self-sufficiency in four years. But after I asked him again, he bravely said, 'Sir, we can do it in two years.'

President Prabowo highlighted that achieving sugar self-sufficiency is part of a broader government strategy to strengthen national independence. Following successes in food self-sufficiency, the administration is now focusing on energy and water security. He humorously cautioned the minister, "I told him, 'Good, but don't end up in the hospital, Minister of Agriculture. You promised two years, but you must not end up in the hospital. The nation still needs you.'" The initiative underscores the government's drive towards greater national resilience and economic autonomy.

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I told him, 'Good, but don't end up in the hospital, Minister of Agriculture. You promised two years, but you must not end up in the hospital. The nation still needs you.'