CIKAMPEK - PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) ensures that nationally subsidized fertilizer stocks have met demand. This can be seen from the position of the national stock which amounted to 613,138 tons as of February 8, 2023 or the stock is equivalent to 162 percent of the minimum requirement set by the Government, which is 377,344 tons.

Pupuk Indonesia Marketing Director, Gusrizal said that the stock of subsidized fertilizers consisted of 309,869 tons of urea fertilizer and 303,269 NPK, or each of them was sufficient to meet the needs of farmers for the next four weeks or one month.

"So, the stock of subsidized fertilizer nationally is safe, it has been fulfilled according to the allocation set by the Government. This can be seen from the Urea stock of 309,869 tons which is equivalent to 137 percent of the minimum requirement of 226,846 tons. Meanwhile, 303,269 tons of NPK fertilizer is equivalent to 202 percent of the minimum requirement of 150,499 tons," said Gusrizal after conducting a review of the Klari Pupuk Warehouse in Karawang, West Java, Thursday (9/2/2023).

The total national fertilizer stock is spread across line I of 508,480 tons consisting of 420,126 tons of urea and 88,480 tons of NPK. Then Line II amounted to 183,337 tons consisting of 127,870 tons of urea and 55,467 tons of NPK, and Line III or warehouses at the district level amounted to 613,138 tons consisting of 309,869 tons of urea and 303,269 tons of NPK.

Gusrizal conveyed that the safe condition of subsidized fertilizer stocks applies to all regions, for example in West Java. He said the stock of urea type fertilizer was recorded at 33,230 tons or 119 percent of the minimum requirement of 30,026 tons. Then the stock of NPK fertilizer amounted to 29,392 tons or the equivalent of 317 percent of the minimum requirement of 9,320 tons.

Therefore, Gusrizal ensures that there is no shortage of subsidized fertilizer stocks distributed by the Pupuk Indonesia Group. The term scarcity is often referred to by farmers because the allocated allocation is not proportional to the needs proposed or requested by farmer groups.

The allocation of subsidized fertilizer itself has been determined by the Government through Minister of Agriculture Regulation (Permentan) Number 10 of 2022 concerning Procedures for Determining the Allocation and Highest Retail Price of Subsidized Fertilizers in the Agricultural Sector. In 2023, the Government through Decree of the Minister of Agriculture (Kepmentan) Number 6 of 2022 stipulates an allocation of subsidized fertilizer of 7,776,281 tons, of this figure the allocation for West Java is 950,312 tons consisting of 548,235 tons of urea and 402,077 tons of NPK.

"In addition to allocations that are not in accordance with the needs requested by farmers through farmer groups, the term scarcity is also because farmers are not registered in the e-Allocation but wish to buy subsidized fertilizer," explained Gusrizal.

However, Gusrizal revealed that Pupuk Indonesia continues to meet farmers' fertilizer needs through a program to develop commercial kiosks or PE-I shops. This kiosk sells non-subsidized fertilizers or other commercial products, so it is hoped that in the future farmers will not only depend on subsidized fertilizers. Not only that, Gusrizal also appealed to all farmers who are entitled to subsidized fertilizers to buy it at official kiosks.

Farmers who are entitled to subsidized fertilizer in accordance with Minister of Agriculture Number 10 of 2022 are required to join a farmer group, be registered with the SIMLUHTAN (Agricultural Extension Management Information System), cultivate a maximum of two hectares of land, and use a Farmer's Card (for certain areas).

This regulation stipulates that fertilizers that receive subsidies are focused on urea and NPK and commodities that can receive subsidized fertilizers, namely rice, corn, soybeans, chilies, shallots, garlic, smallholder sugarcane, cocoa and coffee. These nine commodities are strategic agriculture which have an impact on inflation so that other commodities no longer receive allocations.

Meanwhile, from the distribution side, Gusrizal revealed that Pupuk Indonesia had distributed 771,921 tons nationally as of February 8, 2023. This figure consisted of 471,992 tons of urea and 299,929 tons of NPK. That way the respective realization is 10.2 percent and 9.7 percent of the total allocation.

Meanwhile, for the realization of special distribution in West Java, Pupuk Indonesia has distributed 141,438 tons as of February 8, 2023. The details are urea fertilizer of 87,603 tons or 14.6 percent of the allocation of 600,546 tons. Then NPK fertilizer amounted to 53,835 tons or 16.6 percent of the allocation.