Indonesia accelerates agricultural transformation for food self-sufficiency

Indonesia's Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, is advancing national agricultural transformation to ensure sustainable food self-sufficiency through modernization and technological innovation. To strengthen this mission, the Ministry has welcomed Vice Minister Alim Setiawan Slamet to coordinate priority food programs and transition traditional farming systems into modern ones.

As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Agriculture has allocated Rp 7.71 billion to support seed development and distribution. This funding specifically targets local soybean varieties, Gamagora 7 rice, and superior cocoa seedlings. In a strategic collaboration with Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), the Ministry aims to purchase research-driven seeds for nationwide distribution to farmers.

The partnership with UGM's Agrotechnology Innovation Center (PIAT) focuses on increasing productivity for crops like non-GMO Grobogan soybeans, which can yield between 3.4 and 3.6 tons per hectare. The initiative seeks to reduce import dependency, support the tofu and tempeh industries, and improve farmer welfare by integrating supply chains from upstream to downstream.