Indonesia aims for rice self-sufficiency in 2024

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is targeting to increase rice production to 35 million tons in 2024 to avoid imports, Acting Minister of Agriculture Arief Prasetyo Adi has said. "Next year, I am asking the director general of the Ministry of Agriculture to prepare 35 million tons of rice equivalent," Adi said during the 2023 Perpadi National Working Meeting in Surakarta, Central Java, on Monday, according to a statement from the ministry . He said that the production target for 2024 is higher than the 2023 target of 31 million tons. This increase is to ensure that Indonesia will not need to import rice to meet domestic demands. According to the Area Sample Frame (KSA) Survey by Statistics Indonesia, the estimated rice harvest area in 2023 is 10.20 million hectares, with production projected at 53.63 million tons of unhusked rice, or an equivalent of 30.90 million tons of rice. Meanwhile, rice consumption is expected to be 30.62 million tons, resulting in a surplus of ...