Jakarta, July 20, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving national sugar self-sufficiency within two years by accelerating the country’s sugarcane rejuvenation programme, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to strengthen food security.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the ministry is fully prepared to expedite the nationwide initiative through close collaboration with regional governments, state-owned enterprises, private sector stakeholders, and farmers.
“The entire Ministry of Agriculture will work at full capacity alongside regional governments, state-owned enterprises, the private sector, and farmers to ensure the two-year target of sugar self-sufficiency is met,” Sulaiman said in a statement confirmed on Sunday.
The minister explained that the accelerated sugarcane rejuvenation programme will focus on modernising cultivation techniques, increasing productivity, expanding the use of high-quality seeds, promoting agricultural mechanisation, and strengthening partnerships between farmers and the sugar industry.
According to Sulaiman, the initiative is designed to significantly increase domestic sugar production, reduce Indonesia’s dependence on sugar imports, and improve the livelihoods of sugarcane farmers nationwide.
He added that the Ministry of Agriculture will continue to closely monitor and oversee the implementation of the programme as part of broader efforts to enhance national food security, create greater value within the agricultural sector, and improve farmers’ welfare.
The accelerated timeline follows President Prabowo Subianto’s announcement that Indonesia aims to achieve sugar self-sufficiency within two years, halving the original four-year target.
The President made the announcement during a harvest event in Malang District, East Java, on Friday, where he stressed the importance of accelerating agricultural reforms to strengthen the country’s food resilience.
President Subianto noted that Minister Sulaiman had previously proposed a sugarcane rejuvenation programme covering approximately 100,000 hectares annually, which was initially expected to enable Indonesia to attain sugar self-sufficiency within four years.
Following further evaluations and discussions, however, the Agriculture Ministry concluded that the objective could be achieved within just two years through intensified implementation measures.
The President emphasized that attaining sugar self-sufficiency forms a key pillar of the government’s broader strategy to strengthen Indonesia’s national independence. In addition to food security, the administration is pursuing greater energy self-sufficiency and enhanced water security as part of its long-term national development agenda.
