Medan, May 21, 2024 – The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has officially set the subsidized fertilizer allocation to 9.55 million tons for 2024. PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), the state-owned enterprise tasked with producing and distributing subsidized fertilizer, is conducting direct outreach to farmers, kiosk owners, distributors, and agricultural departments in North Sumatra (Sumut) Province.

Eko Setyo Nugroho, Finance & Risk Management Director of PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda (PIM), stated that the Pupuk Indonesia Group supports the smooth, accurate, and easily redeemable distribution of subsidized fertilizer according to the set allocation.

"The government has decided to increase the quota allocation for subsidized fertilizer for the 2024 fiscal year from 4.7 million tons to 9.55 million tons. As a state-owned enterprise mandated to support national resilience, Pupuk Indonesia Group is ready to meet the increased allocation and oversee the distribution and redemption process to ensure subsidized fertilizer reaches the farmers," said Eko.

According to Ministerial Decree No. 249 of 2024, the government has set the subsidized fertilizer allocation at 9.55 million tons, divided among four types: Urea, NPK, Special Formula NPK, and the newly included Organic fertilizer. The allocation for these types is 4,634,626 tons for Urea, 4,278,504 tons for NPK, 136,870 tons for Special Formula NPK, and 500,000 tons for Organic fertilizer.

For North Sumatra, the government has allocated 478,298 tons, an increase of 243,450 tons from the previous allocation of 234,848 tons. The breakdown includes 212,943 tons of Urea, up from 124,580 tons; 233,888 tons of NPK, up from 109,406 tons; 5,979 tons of Special Formula NPK, up from 862 tons; and 25,488 tons of Organic fertilizer.

To ensure smooth distribution of subsidized fertilizer in North Sumatra, Pupuk Indonesia has prepared 25 Line III warehouses, 77 distributors, 2,360 kiosk/retailer networks, and is supported by 32 field officers to ensure all eligible farmers receive subsidized fertilizer according to regulations.

In line with Ministerial Regulation No. 01 of 2024 and Ministerial Decree No. 249 of 2024, Pupuk Indonesia ensures stock availability at all levels to support these policies. As of May 20, 2024, the national stock of subsidized fertilizer is recorded at 2.04 million tons, reaching 222 percent of the government's minimum requirement. Meanwhile, the stock available in North Sumatra is recorded at 147.374 tons, reaching 360 percent of the minimum stock requirement.

As for distribution, as of May 20, 2024, Pupuk Indonesia has successfully distributed 2.18 million tons of subsidized fertilizer, equivalent to 22.8 percent of the total allocation of 9.55 million tons nationwide. The details include 1.26 million tons of Urea, 912,742 tons of NPK, and 5,409 tons of Special Formula NPK. In North Sumatra, 100,466 tons have been distributed by May 20, 2024, consisting of 55,670 tons of Urea, 44,465 tons of NPK, and 331 tons of Special Formula NPK.

The increased allocation of subsidized fertilizer can be utilized by registered farmers or those who meet the criteria according to Ministerial Regulation No. 01 of 2024, which requires being part of a Farmers Group and registered in the electronic definitive group needs plan (e-RDKK). This subsidized fertilizer is intended for farmers engaged in food crop sub-sectors such as rice, corn, and soybeans, horticultural sub-sectors such as chili, shallots, and garlic, and plantation sub-sectors such as sugarcane, cocoa, and coffee.

The criteria set include a maximum land area of 2 hectares, including farmers who are part of the Village Community Forest Institution (LMDH), in accordance with applicable regulations. Under the new regulations, the Electronic Definitive Group Needs Plan (e-RDKK) can be evaluated every four months within the current year. This means that farmers who have not yet received an allocation can input their data during the registration process in the current year's evaluation.

Additionally, this outreach activity informs subsidized fertilizer recipients that the additional allocation can be redeemed easily using an ID card (KTP) at official kiosks. The redemption process using KTP is possible because all official kiosks are now equipped with the i-Pubers (Integrated Subsidized Fertilizer) application. Through i-Pubers, kiosk owners can verify data by scanning the farmer's original ID card, making it easy for eligible farmers to obtain subsidized fertilizer.

"We hope that all participants, especially the heads of the Farmers Group, can educate about the additional subsidized fertilizer allocation for the 2024 fiscal year. We also hope farmers can redeem subsidized fertilizer easily using their ID cards. Kiosk staff will swiftly assist and guide the redemption process to ensure that subsidized fertilizer is utilized by eligible farmers according to regulations," concluded Eko.

This socialization activity is a collaboration between Pupuk Indonesia, the Ministry of Agriculture, the North Sumatra Agricultural Service, the Ombudsman, and the POLRI Corruption Prevention Task Force. The event, held at the Lombok Raya Hotel, NTB, was attended by approximately 250 participants, including Heads of Agricultural Services at the Regency/City level in North Sumatra Province, District Verval Teams in North Sumatra Province, distributors, kiosk/retailer representatives, and Farmers Group representatives in North Sumatra Province.