REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Amran Sulaiman said rice production at the beginning of the year and during the March-April 2024 harvest will be safe and maintained because the growing season has been accelerated since December 2023.

“Yesterday, December, Alhamdulillah was able to plant 1.5 million hectares. It is already above the standard, which means that the harvest in April is safe,” Amran said, met at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Amran said indeed the impact of warming sea surface temperatures or El Nino had changed the pattern of the growing season. Therefore, he said, there needs to be anticipation with the acceleration of the growing season in order for food production to be maintained.

With planting already done by December 2023, Amran predicts, there will be a minimum production of 3.5 million tons. Further, according to Amran, planting with a target of 1.7 million hectares will be carried out in January, and will resume in February 2024.

“The bottom line is that we want to be food safe in the next three months. It should not be planted below 1 million (hectares) per month,” he said.

Based on the experience of previous El Nino events, Amran said, plantings carried out only on 500,000 hectares of land are insufficient for national needs. Therefore, at present, food cultivation is carried out every month on land with an area exceeding 1 million hectares.

“In the past, when El Nino happened, it was planted only 500 thousand hectares, only half of them were successful. El Nino hits a lot,” Amran said.

In a full Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Joko Widodo called on ministries and agencies to be wary of the effects of climate change that could hamper production from the growing season and harvest earlier in the year.

“Be alert to climate change that could potentially disrupt the planned growing season and harvest so that the calculations regarding safe conditions, strategic food reserves are properly calculated,” Jokowi said.

Jokowi emphasized to the ministries and agencies the importance of planning the planting of food crops, and the calculation of production data in order to ensure the availability of food materials at the beginning of this year.

The president requested that stocks and food availability at the beginning of this year be properly maintained. Central governments and local governments, he said, should keep an eye on stocks and food prices in their respective regions and anticipate in case of unwanted turbulence.

According to Perum Bulog data, the government's stockpile of rice reserves (CBP) in Bulog Warehouse earlier this year amounted to 1.6 million tons of rice.

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