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Prabowo greenlights rice export amid rising production
The announcement comes just days after the government rejected a request from Malaysia to import rice from Indonesia, citing the need to safeguard domestic supply.
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President Prabowo Subianto gets off the presidential plane after landing at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on April 15, 2025, following visits to five Middle Eastern countries to discuss various issues with their respective leaders. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
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resident Prabowo Subianto has authorized rice exports to countries in need, reversing an earlier statement by Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, who had insisted on prioritizing domestic reserves.
Speaking during a visit to South Sumatra on Wednesday, Prabowo said the country could share its rice surplus with others without seeking high profits, in the spirit of “humanity,” as long as the basic production, logistics and administrative costs were covered.
“I have received reports from the agriculture minister and the coordinating food minister that several countries have requested rice imports from Indonesia. I approved it. I ordered that rice be sent to them,” Prabowo declared.
According to the President, rice production reached record highs over the past four months. However, the surplus has created a new logistical challenge, as government storage facilities are nearing full capacity.
To address the issue, Prabowo ordered a swift, short-term solution by repurposing idle land owned by the government, military and police as makeshift storage sites.
“I’ve asked government agencies, state-owned enterprises [SOEs], the Army and the police to join forces. I’ll allocate special funding to build temporary storage facilities that won’t be too costly to construct,” he said.
He also pointed to the state-backed Red and White Village Cooperative program as a longer-term solution for managing distribution. With plans to establish 80,000 cooperatives nationwide, each will be equipped with a warehouse, cold storage and one or two trucks.
