Medan, January 21, 2025 - PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) has received support from the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) to accelerate the distribution of subsidized fertilizer to registered farmers since the beginning of 2025. This acceleration aligns with the mission and Astacita program of the Prabowo-Gibran administration to support national food self-sufficiency.

President Director of Pupuk Indonesia, Rahmad Pribadi, stated that around 600,000 farmers have successfully redeemed subsidized fertilizer since January 1, 2025. This achievement was made possible after the government, under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, successfully simplified the subsidized fertilizer policy.

"Pupuk Indonesia expresses gratitude for the government's support, which ensured that the Provincial or Regency Fertilizer Allocation Decrees (SK) were issued 100% before the end of 2024. This has certainly given farmers more confidence and peace of mind in redeeming subsidized fertilizer in their respective areas," said Rahmad during the Food Sector Coordination Meeting in Medan on Tuesday (21/1/2025).

Starting January 1, 2025, Rahmad continued, Pupuk Indonesia has ensured that iPubers serves as the distribution platform, making it easier for farmers to redeem fertilizer. Registered farmers only need to bring their National Identity Card (KTP).

The total number of subsidized fertilizer redemptions by registered farmers from early January to January 19, 2025, has reached 688,386 transactions, involving 599,582 farmers nationwide. During this period, the amount of subsidized fertilizer redeemed amounted to 405,000 tons.

Specifically in North Sumatra, Rahmad added, 8,000 farmers have already redeemed subsidized fertilizer. In Asahan Regency alone, as of January 19, 2025, 541 tons of subsidized fertilizer have been redeemed.

"We encourage the full utilization of iPubers to ensure a more reliable and accountable subsidized fertilizer distribution system, while also making the redemption process easier for farmers," Rahmad stated.

Furthermore, he emphasized that as part of the Ministry of SOEs, Pupuk Indonesia is committed to supporting the optimization of this regulatory simplification by maintaining stock availability. As of January 19, 2025, Pupuk Indonesia has secured a national stock of 1.01 million tons of subsidized fertilizer, consisting of 574,238 tons of Urea, 424,441 tons of NPK, and 14,728 tons of Organic fertilizer.

The stock in North Sumatra Province stands at 89,000 tons, comprising 58,417 tons of Urea, 28,833 tons of NPK, and 1,959 tons of Organic fertilizer. To ensure the smooth distribution of subsidized fertilizer in North Sumatra, Pupuk Indonesia has also provided various facilities, including 35 field officers, 29 warehouses with a total capacity of 145,229 tons, 82 distributors, and 2,373 official kiosks.

"We hope that farmers, particularly in North Sumatra, will maximize the redemption of subsidized fertilizer to support the achievement of national food self-sufficiency," Rahmad concluded.

At the same event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan) of Indonesia, Sudaryono, explained that in accordance with the Presidential Instruction (Inpres) on Fertilizer, the mechanism for distributing subsidized fertilizer has been simplified. The fertilizer is now directly distributed from Pupuk Indonesia to farmer group associations (gapoktan) or retailers.

"Previously, the list of subsidized fertilizer recipients from the Ministry of Agriculture was usually provided in April due to bureaucratic delays, as there were numerous regulations to navigate. Thankfully, following directives from the President, emphasis from the Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, and the synergy of all agricultural policy stakeholders, the list was issued in December 2024. As a result, by January 1, 2025, the fertilizer was already available in kiosks," he stated.

He further revealed that, on average, daily fertilizer redemptions have surpassed last year’s figures. This gives him confidence that agricultural productivity can be improved to accelerate national food self-sufficiency. "When farmers redeem their fertilizer earlier, their enthusiasm for planting increases as well. This also contributes to overall production growth," said the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.