President Prabowo Subianto Issues Sweeping Mandate for Accelerated Food Self-Sufficiency to Bolster National Resilience

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has issued a pivotal directive, Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 2 of 2026, signaling a robust and urgent national commitment to achieving accelerated food self-sufficiency in the agricultural sector. Signed on March 25, 2026, the comprehensive instruction aims to fundamentally transform Indonesia’s food landscape, ensuring national resilience and economic independence against an backdrop of evolving global food security challenges. The Inpres delegates specific, far-reaching responsibilities to key cabinet members and strategic state-owned enterprise (SOE) leaders, including Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, Head of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BP BUMN) Dony Oskaria, and CEO of BPI Danantara Rosan Roeslani, outlining a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to a critical national agenda.

A New Era for Indonesian Food Security: Background and Context

Indonesia, an archipelago nation with a vast agricultural potential, has historically grappled with the paradox of being a major agricultural producer while simultaneously relying heavily on food imports for staple commodities like rice, sugar, corn, and soybeans. This reliance has exposed the nation to global price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical risks, underscoring a persistent vulnerability in its food security architecture. The country’s rapidly growing population, projected to exceed 300 million by mid-century, further intensifies the demand for sustainable and secure food sources.

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has made food self-sufficiency a cornerstone of its national development agenda, a commitment consistently articulated throughout his presidential campaign. This Inpres translates that electoral promise into a concrete policy framework, reflecting a strategic pivot towards strengthening domestic production capabilities and reducing external dependencies. The timing of this instruction also aligns with a period of heightened global food insecurity, exacerbated by factors such as climate change, geopolitical conflicts (like the ongoing war in Ukraine impacting global grain supplies), and export restrictions imposed by various nations. These external pressures have underscored the urgency for nations like Indonesia to bolster their domestic food production capacities and secure their supply chains.

Previous administrations have also attempted to address food security, investing in irrigation infrastructure, agricultural mechanization, and farmer welfare programs. However, challenges such as land conversion for non-agricultural purposes, an aging farming population, limited access to capital and technology for smallholder farmers, and inefficiencies in the logistics and distribution networks have persisted. President Prabowo’s Inpres seeks to overcome these long-standing hurdles by mandating a more integrated, top-down approach, leveraging the formidable resources and reach of the state.

Key Mandates and Strategic Roles

The Presidential Instruction delineates precise roles and responsibilities for each official, forming a cohesive operational framework for the food self-sufficiency drive.

Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman: The Operational Commander

Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman is positioned at the forefront of this initiative, granted expansive authority to steer the agricultural sector towards the ambitious self-sufficiency targets. His key mandates include:

1. SOE Assignment and Oversight: The Minister is empowered to assign specific tasks to state-owned enterprises involved in agriculture, agro-industry, and food logistics. This list of critical SOEs includes PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Persero), PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero), PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero), PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (Persero), PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), Perum Bulog, and other relevant state-owned entities. This authority signifies a significant consolidation of strategic direction under the Ministry of Agriculture, ensuring that the collective might of these SOEs is channeled effectively towards national food goals. These enterprises collectively span the entire food value chain, from seed and fertilizer production (Pupuk Indonesia), plantation management (PTPN III, Agrinas Palma), diversified food products and logistics (RNI/ID Food), staple food procurement and distribution (Perum Bulog), to broader agricultural development (Agrinas Pangan).
2. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Recommendations: Minister Sulaiman is tasked with providing written recommendations for the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the assignments given to these SOEs. This crucial responsibility ensures that the SOEs’ performance is not only aligned with the national food self-sufficiency objectives but also measurable and accountable. The KPIs are expected to cover various aspects, including production targets, efficiency improvements, supply chain optimization, and contribution to farmer welfare.
3. Personnel Appointment and Dismissal Considerations: In a move to enhance direct control and accountability, the Minister is also required to provide written considerations for the appointment and dismissal of Directors, Boards of Commissioners, and Supervisory Boards of these strategically important SOEs. This provision ensures that leadership within these critical entities is aligned with the government’s vision and capable of executing the ambitious food security agenda.

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa: The Financial Architect

The success of any large-scale national initiative hinges on robust financial backing. Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa’s role is therefore critical, focusing on:

1. Budgetary Facilitation and Technical Support: The Minister of Finance is mandated to provide facilitation and technical budgetary support for the acceleration of food self-sufficiency in the agricultural sector. This involves ensuring that adequate financial resources are allocated in the national budget for agricultural development programs, infrastructure projects (e.g., irrigation, storage facilities), research and development, farmer subsidies, and technological adoption. The Ministry of Finance will play a key role in identifying funding mechanisms, managing fiscal risks, and ensuring the efficient utilization of funds to maximize impact. This commitment underscores the government’s recognition that significant investment is required to revitalize the agricultural sector.

Head of BP BUMN Dony Oskaria: The Corporate Governance Enabler

The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BP BUMN), under Dony Oskaria, plays a pivotal role in ensuring the effective deployment and governance of the SOEs involved. His responsibilities include:

1. Support for SOE Task Assignment: The Head of BP BUMN is instructed to provide comprehensive support to the Minister of Agriculture in assigning tasks to the specified SOEs. This involves facilitating the operational integration of these directives within the BUMN framework and ensuring that SOEs have the necessary resources and organizational structures to fulfill their mandates.
2. KPI Consideration: BP BUMN is tasked with considering the written recommendations from the Minister of Agriculture regarding the procedures and core content of KPIs for the SOE assignments. This collaboration ensures that the performance metrics are both strategically relevant from an agricultural perspective and operationally sound from a corporate governance standpoint.
3. Personnel Decision Follow-up: Crucially, the Head of BP BUMN is required to follow up on the written considerations from the Minister of Agriculture regarding the appointment and dismissal of Directors, Boards of Commissioners, and Supervisory Boards of the agriculture, agro-industry, and food logistics SOEs, in accordance with existing regulations. This mechanism ensures that the Minister of Agriculture’s strategic input on leadership is formally integrated into the BUMN’s corporate decision-making process, strengthening accountability and alignment.

CEO of BPI Danantara Rosan Roeslani: The Operational Integrator

Rosan Roeslani, as CEO of BPI Danantara, is tasked with a vital operational and facilitative role, reflecting the administration’s emphasis on streamlined execution. His responsibilities involve:

1. Operational Facilitation and Technical Support: CEO Danantara is mandated to provide facilitation and technical support in managing the operational aspects of the SOEs involved in agriculture, agro-industry, and food logistics. This role is crucial for ensuring that the policy directives translate into efficient on-the-ground operations. Given Rosan’s background and the strategic nature of BPI Danantara (likely a holding company or a strategic investment entity for food SOEs), his mandate would include fostering synergy among the various SOEs, optimizing supply chains, promoting technological adoption, and ensuring that operational challenges are addressed promptly and effectively. This role emphasizes practical, hands-on support to ensure that the SOEs function as a cohesive unit towards the national food goals.

Broader Implications and Potential Impact

The issuance of Inpres No. 2 of 2026 signifies a profound shift in Indonesia’s approach to food security, moving beyond piecemeal interventions to a highly coordinated and centrally driven strategy.

Economic Impact:
Accelerated food self-sufficiency holds significant economic promise. Reducing reliance on imports for staple foods will lead to substantial savings in foreign exchange, bolstering the national balance of payments. Increased domestic production is expected to stimulate rural economies, creating jobs not only in primary agriculture but also in related agro-industries, logistics, and processing. Enhanced farmer income through improved productivity and market access can contribute to poverty reduction and a more equitable distribution of wealth. Furthermore, a stable food supply and predictable prices will contribute to macroeconomic stability, reducing inflationary pressures caused by global commodity price shocks. The move also signals a commitment to boosting local industries that support agriculture, from fertilizer and machinery production to packaging and transportation.

Social Impact:
From a social perspective, food self-sufficiency directly addresses the fundamental right to food for all Indonesians. A stable and affordable food supply will improve nutritional outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations, and contribute to overall public health. It also fosters a sense of national pride and security, knowing that the nation can feed itself. The focus on SOEs in the agricultural sector also implies a potential for standardized quality and availability of food products across the archipelago, reducing regional disparities.

Geopolitical Resilience:
In an increasingly unpredictable global environment, national food independence is a critical component of geopolitical resilience. By reducing its vulnerability to external supply shocks, Indonesia strengthens its strategic autonomy and bargaining power on the international stage. It safeguards its population from being held hostage by global food politics or trade disputes. This directive underscores a proactive stance to secure national interests in a volatile world.

Challenges and Implementation Hurdles:
While the Inpres outlines an ambitious and strategic vision, its successful implementation will inevitably face significant challenges.

• Coordination Complexity: Despite the clear mandates, coordinating numerous ministries and SOEs, each with its own organizational culture and priorities, will require exceptional leadership and robust communication channels.
• Climate Change: Indonesia’s agricultural sector is highly susceptible to climate change impacts, including unpredictable weather patterns, droughts, and floods. Building resilience into the food system will require substantial investment in climate-smart agriculture, adaptive crop varieties, and robust irrigation infrastructure.
• Land Use and Conversion: The ongoing conversion of agricultural land for urban development, industrial expansion, and mining poses a persistent threat to food production capacity. Strict enforcement of land protection laws and innovative land use planning will be essential.
• Farmer Engagement: The success of the program ultimately depends on the active participation and empowerment of millions of smallholder farmers. Ensuring they have access to modern technology, credit, training, and fair prices for their produce will be paramount.
• Market Dynamics: Balancing the drive for self-sufficiency with market efficiency and consumer affordability will be a delicate act. Potential risks include market distortions if not managed carefully, or inefficient production if not globally competitive.
• Bureaucracy and Corruption: Large-scale government programs are often susceptible to bureaucratic inefficiencies and potential corruption. Robust oversight mechanisms and transparent governance will be crucial to ensure funds are utilized effectively and targets are met.

Looking Ahead: Metrics of Success

The effectiveness of Inpres No. 2 of 2026 will be measured by several key indicators over the coming years. These include:

• A measurable reduction in import volumes for key food commodities (e.g., rice, sugar, corn, soybeans).
• Significant increases in agricultural productivity and yields across various crops.
• Stabilization of domestic food prices and improved accessibility for consumers.
• Enhanced income and welfare for farmers.
• Expansion and modernization of agricultural infrastructure, including irrigation, storage, and logistics networks.
• Increased investment in agricultural research and development, leading to innovative solutions.

President Prabowo Subianto’s Inpres No. 2 of 2026 marks a decisive moment for Indonesia’s food security agenda. By empowering key officials and leveraging the vast resources of state-owned enterprises, the government is embarking on an ambitious journey to transform the nation into a truly self-sufficient and resilient food powerhouse. The coming years will be critical in observing how this comprehensive mandate translates into tangible results on the ground, ultimately shaping the future of Indonesia’s food landscape and its national destiny.