Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia will stop its imports on several key agricultural commodities, including rice, sugar, salt, and livestock feed corn, starting in 2025. The decisions was announced by Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Kemenkopangan) Zulkifli Hasan.
The decision follows a limited coordination meeting on the 2025 commodity balance with various ministries and government agencies in Jakarta on Monday, December 9. “By 2025, Indonesia will no longer import rice for consumption, sugar for consumption, corn for livestock feed, or salt for household use,” Zulkifli announced.
The move aims to bolster food self-sufficiency by curbing imports and boosting domestic production to meet national demand.
Consumption Rice
Indonesia will halt rice imports for general consumption beginning in 2025, as national production is expected to meet domestic needs.
“Our rice production target for 2025 is around 32 million tons, while national consumption stands at 31 million tons. So, as long as there are no extraordinary events or natural disasters, we won’t need to import rice for consumption,” Zulkifli said, citing Kumparan.
However, limited imports will still be permitted for specialty rice, such as Basmati for Indian restaurants and Japanese rice for sushi establishments.
Salt for Household Use
The government has also decided to stop importing salt for household consumption, with national demand currently at 500,000 to 600,000 tons annually. Local reserves of salt stand at approximately 800,000 tons, ensuring sufficient supply for households.
Zulkifli clarified that industrial salt imports would still be allowed temporarily while the country works on improving technology and domestic production over the next two years.
Sugar for Consumption
Indonesia will also stop sugar imports for consumption by 2025, driven by improved domestic sugarcane productivity. National sugar production increased from 2.2 million tons in 2023 to 2.4 million tons in 2024, and the government targets 2.6 million tons for 2025.
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Corn for Livestock Feed
Imports of corn for livestock feed will also stopped by 2025, with local production deemed sufficient to meet demand. However, imports of corn for industrial use will be halved, from 1.8 million tons to 900,000 tons.
“We must push to improve the quality of local corn so that it can be absorbed by the industry. Therefore, we have decided to approve imports of only 900,000 tons for industrial purposes,” Zulkifli said.
The Indonesian government has set a full food self-sufficiency target by 2027. However, Zulkifli expressed optimism that several commodities could achieve self-sufficiency earlier through improved productivity, technology, and post-harvest management.
“Food self-sufficiency is non-negotiable. The president has mandated achieving this goal by 2027 at the latest. However, for long-term sovereignty, we may need five to seven more years,” he concluded.
(Raidi/Agung)
