Indonesia to Expand Farmland by 3 Million Hectares for Food Self-Sufficiency

Indonesia’s incoming president, Prabowo Subianto, plans to increase food crop planting areas by three million hectares over the next five years as part of a food self-sufficiency initiative, Reuters reported yesterday.

Prabowo, who won the February election, aims to achieve this goal within four years of taking office on October 20.

Currently, Indonesia has 7.4 million hectares of farmland, a decline from 8.08 million hectares in 2015 due to land conversion for housing and industry. The expansion will focus on cultivating rice, corn, and soybeans, with plans to utilize swamps in South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, and Papua for rice cultivation.

While environmentalists express concerns about potential deforestation, officials assure that no pristine forests will be cleared. Indonesia’s rice production is projected at 30.86 million metric tons this year, falling short of the estimated demand of 31.21 million tons, prompting a 2024 rice import quota of 3.6 million tons.