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Can Indonesia rely less on rice? Culture and agriculture would have to change
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Farmers dry rice stalks during the harvest at Jatiluwih village in Tabanan, Bali, on June 18, 2024. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)
I
ndonesians are eating too much rice to the point that nationwide production keeps falling short of demand. Many have proposed a diversification of local dietary habits, but rice consumption is deeply rooted in Indonesian culture, and switching to alternatives alone would not address structural problems in domestic farming.
“[I have always] eaten rice ever since I was little, and until now, from breakfast to dinner, there must be rice [in the meal],” says Azura Yumna, a 22-year-old reporter in Jakarta.
Going without the white grain for any of three meals a day would leave him feeling “lackluster,” Azura said when speaking to The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Many if not most Indonesians feel the same way about rice, which is typically processed into the white form with the bran removed, and along with it some nutritional benefits. The commodity has been the archipelago’s main staple for as long as anyone can remember.
Nevertheless, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data from February show that Indonesians do eat less rice today than some years ago, as per-capita consumption dropped from 1.7 kilograms a week in 2007 to 1.5 kg in 2023.
Khudori, an agriculture expert with the Indonesian Political Economy Association (AEPI), pointed out that, despite decreasing per-capita consumption, aggregate consumption kept growing along with the country’s population, leaving the country dependent on imports to meet nationwide demand.
Khudori blamed this on “structural problems” in domestic agriculture that would require years to sort out.
