Indonesia Shifts Focus to Sugar, Soybean Self-Sufficiency After Rice Milestone

Indonesia is strategically pivoting towards achieving self-sufficiency in sugar and soybeans, building on its recent success in securing rice self-sufficiency. This new phase of national food security was underscored by a large-scale, synchronized harvest event involving sugarcane, rice, and soybeans across 43 locations nationwide. President Prabowo Subianto personally led the main event in Malang, East Java, on July 17, 2026, symbolizing a unified national effort.

“

This activity shows that food security is not just the business of the Ministry of Agriculture, but a national movement involving the strength of the entire nation.

The synchronized harvest involved extensive collaboration between central and regional governments, agricultural extension workers, businesses, farmers, and security forces acting as field supervisors. From sugarcane alone, the harvest covered 236,048 hectares, yielding an estimated 18.39 million tons of sugarcane. This is projected to produce 1.36 million tons of sugar, meeting approximately 45 percent of the national sugar production target for 2026. For soybeans, the focus was on four pilot locations for developing superior local seeds, aiming to gradually decrease reliance on imported soybeans.

Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa of East Java emphasized that achieving food security and sovereignty is a national endeavor requiring broad collaboration, with East Java prepared to be a primary pillar. President Prabowo echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of cross-sector synergy in maintaining national food stocks. He stated that food security is not solely the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture but a national movement involving the strength of the entire nation.

“

East Java is ready to be its main pillar.

To accelerate sugar self-sufficiency, the Ministry of Agriculture is prioritizing sugarcane replanting, modernizing cultivation techniques, mechanization, boosting productivity, and reforming the national sugar yield system. Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman affirmed the ministry's full commitment to these directives, working alongside regional governments, state-owned enterprises, the private sector, and farmers. Farmers expressed enthusiasm for the government's support, with one sugarcane farmer from Malang sharing his pride in witnessing the abundant harvest alongside the President and hoping for continued attention to enhance farmers' welfare and motivation.

“

I am very happy and proud, Mr. President directly went to the field to witness our abundant harvest. The hope is that attention to farmers will continue to be increased so that farmers are more comfortable and more enthusiastic about farming for Indonesia's food security.