Purworejo, January 18, 2024 - Agriculture is a sector that significantly contributes to Indonesia's economy. The success of this sector is inseparable from the efforts of farmers who work hard to support the nation's food security. To maintain the contribution of the agricultural sector, the Government continues to ensure the availability of both subsidized and non-subsidized fertilizers.

President Joko Widodo's administration has a strong commitment to farmers, evident in the fertilizer subsidy program, which allocates around Rp 25 trillion annually to help farmers obtain affordable fertilizers. In 2024, the Government plans to increase the fertilizer subsidy allocation by Rp 14 trillion to benefit even more farmers.

Not stopping there, the Government has also simplified the mechanism for redeeming subsidized fertilizers using only the National Identity Card (KTP). This is expected to be utilized by all farmers to meet their fertilizer needs.

The CEO of PT Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang, Daconi Khotob, stated that the Government not only provides subsidized fertilizers to farmers but also ensures the availability of non-subsidized fertilizers.

"The Government, through Pupuk Indonesia, ensures the availability of fertilizers throughout Indonesia, both subsidized and non-subsidized. The Government assists in obtaining fertilizers easily to support the acceleration of planting seasons in early 2024," expressed Daconi.

To maintain fertilizer availability, the Government, through the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises and the Ministry of Agriculture, organized the Fertilizer Discount Extravaganza program in various cities/districts from January to February 2024.

"During this planting season, the Government has made various efforts to support farmers in achieving optimal results in the upcoming harvest. The 2024 Fertilizer Discount Extravaganza is organized by Pupuk Indonesia, in collaboration with the government, in various cities during January to February 2024. This series of events aims to ensure the availability of fertilizers for farmers and facilitate their access to fertilizers during this planting season," said Daconi.

In the Fertilizer Discount Extravaganza activities, the Government assigned Pupuk Indonesia to meet the non-subsidized fertilizer needs and encourage farmers to redeem fertilizers, including by preparing non-subsidized fertilizers at affordable prices.

To provide support to farmers in Temanggung Regency through this Fertilizer Discount Extravaganza, a special initiative has been launched to facilitate their access to non-subsidized fertilizers. Through this initiative, each farmer is entitled to receive 25 kg of urea nitrate and 25 kg of NPK Phonska in a package containing 50 kg of fertilizer.

The Government also consistently ensures the availability of subsidized and non-subsidized fertilizer stocks, including by conducting working visits to several agricultural center regions. Until December 31, 2023, the availability of subsidized and non-subsidized fertilizers was recorded at 1,744,302 tons, equivalent to 236 percent of the minimum stock stipulated by the Government. This stock consists of 1,215,280 tons of subsidized fertilizers and 529,022 tons of non-subsidized fertilizers.

"Pupuk Indonesia is implementing the Fertilizer Discount Extravaganza program in line with the government's encouragement so that farmers can enjoy non-subsidized fertilizers at affordable prices and help improve agricultural productivity and the welfare of farmers. Hopefully, this program can encourage farmers to plant early so that the success of this early planting season can be reaped together during the April harvest," Daconi concluded.