Ngawi: A Pillar of National Food Self-Sufficiency

Ngawi Regency in Indonesia is strategically focusing on bolstering its position as a national food security hub while simultaneously driving regional investment growth.

Under the leadership of Regent Ony Anwar Harsono, Ngawi's development strategy prioritizes strengthening the agricultural sector, promoting downstream industries based on local produce, achieving fiscal independence, and ensuring clean governance. Food security remains paramount, with a target of producing 776,000 tons of dry-milled grain (GKG) by 2026. This goal is supported by an existing planting index of 2.8 and an average productivity of 6.04 tons per hectare. To maintain this positive trend, the local government is expanding Sustainable Environmental-Friendly Agriculture (PRLB) 2.0 practices across approximately 35,000 hectares and implementing smart farming technologies driven by young farmer communities.

In the economic sphere, Ngawi has attracted significant investor interest through bureaucratic reforms and a "Ngawi Ramah" (Friendly Ngawi) service concept, which ensures easy, fast, and transparent licensing processes. This has led to a substantial rise in realized investment, jumping from IDR 284 billion in 2021 to IDR 1.3 trillion by the first half of 2026. The regency is optimistic about reaching a target of IDR 3 trillion by the end of the year. This growing investor confidence is reflected in the operation of 38 foreign and domestic investment companies, which have created over 22,000 local jobs. Future investment will concentrate on developing a 1,200-hectare agropolitan area to enhance agricultural product processing and add value to local goods.

Despite facing fiscal challenges due to a IDR 257 billion reduction in central government transfers, Ngawi's government has adjusted its spending without compromising public services. Efficiency measures include rationalizing operational and ceremonial expenditures and implementing a moratorium on new civil servant recruitment. To bolster regional revenue, the government is optimizing local revenue (PAD) through innovations like the "Gropyokan PKB" program, which encourages motor vehicle tax compliance in industrial areas, and expanding PBB-P2 Self Service for property tax payments.

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We are optimistic that we can reach the target of Rp 3 trillion by the end of this year.