JAKARTA: Indonesia may halt rice imports by 2025, according to Zulkifli Hasan, the minister in charge of food affairs, who made the statement on Monday.
Despite a projected 2.43% decline in rice production this year—down to 30.34 million metric tons due to planting delays and the impact of 2023’s dry weather—Indonesia is looking to reduce its reliance on imports. Over the past two years, rice imports exceeded 3 million metric tons annually.
Zulkifli noted that while some imports may still be needed, they would be minimal, and any remaining import allocations from this year might be carried over into 2024.
In line with the goal of food self-reliance, Indonesia plans to expand rice cultivation, with up to 1 million hectares of new fields set to open in 2025 to meet President Prabowo Subianto’s targets.
The country aims to import up to 3.6 million tons of rice this year to meet current demand.
