Food Self-Sufficiency Forms National Resilience Strategy

By: Farhan Farisan

Food self-sufficiency has become a form of national strategy that continues to be revived in every government. However, currently, this discourse is no longer just a dream, but has begun to manifest in the form of real policies, actions in the field, and concrete results. In the context of national resilience, the availability of food, especially rice, is not only a matter of logistics, but also a matter of national sovereignty and defense.

When the world faces the threat of a food crisis due to climate change, war, and geopolitical tensions, Indonesia is actually showing a positive signal with the highest rice stock achievement in the last 57 years. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), as of early May 2025, the national rice stock has reached 3.5 million tons, and is predicted to reach 4 million tons in the next two weeks.

The Minister of Agriculture, Amran Sulaiman, said that this figure is very realistic. This is not just optimism, but a reflection of the success of the national agricultural reform program that emphasizes productivity, efficiency, and adaptation to climate change. Steps such as pumping and increasing the planting index have produced significant results.

The application of pump-based irrigation technology has paved the way for increasing the area planted and accelerating the planting cycle. This allows land that previously could only be harvested once, to now produce harvests two to three times a year. On a national scale, this efficiency is a determinant in achieving sustainable rice self-sufficiency.

The national rice absorption which has now reached 50 thousand tons per day is another indicator of the success of the harvest distribution. With the main harvest still ongoing in productive areas such as East Java, South Sulawesi, and South Sumatra, achieving the target stock of 4 million tons seems to be just a matter of time.

Not only in Java and Sulawesi, the push for self-sufficiency also emerged strongly from the border region. The Governor of North Kalimantan, Zainal A Paliwang, said that he was committed to supporting the acceleration of food self-sufficiency. In a coordination meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, he conveyed his province’s readiness to create new rice fields and optimize idle land.

With budget support of around IDR 500 billion from the Ministry of Agriculture, North Kalimantan is ready to transform itself from a province that imports 60 thousand tons of rice to a rice supplying region. An ambitious target was set: from dependence on food distribution to driving self-sufficiency in less than half a year.

This spirit is in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s instructions to accelerate food independence in the next four years. However, with the collaborative spirit and acceleration shown by regions such as North Kalimantan, the hope of completing it in six months feels increasingly realistic.

This condition indicates that food self-sufficiency is not only a central agenda, but has become a national movement that touches the roots of regional government. Synergy between the center and regions is an important element in uniting steps to ensure national food sustainability.

In the midst of the global food crisis, many countries have closed the export tap to save domestic supplies. India and Vietnam, two of the world’s largest rice producers, have reduced their exports. In this context, Indonesia appears confident with excess stock that allows us to be independent and even consider limited exports as part of food diplomacy.

Food self-sufficiency is not only about availability, but also price stability. When stock is sufficient and distribution is smooth, prices can be suppressed to a reasonable level, maintaining people’s purchasing power. This is an important foundation in maintaining domestic social and political stability.

Food security must be seen as a strategic instrument in non-military defense. When a country is able to meet the basic needs of its people without depending on external parties, its resilience to global pressures in the form of embargoes, international price fluctuations, and climate change will be stronger.

The condition of Indonesia today shows that the right policies, supported by adequate infrastructure and active participation of farmers, can bring great results. Agricultural policies do not need to be spectacular, they just need to be consistent and touch the basic needs of farmers.

Mechanization, digitalization, and incentives that are directed appropriately have begun to show real impacts in the field. This shows that Indonesian agriculture is moving from the traditional era to a modern, highly competitive agribusiness system.