Sikka, January 29, 2025 – PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) is urging all registered farmers in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), to redeem the subsidized fertilizers allocated for 2025. The government’s subsidized fertilizer allocation has reached Indonesia’s frontier regions, including Flores, and can be utilized to support food security programs under the Asta Cita initiative of the Prabowo-Gibran administration.

Pupuk Indonesia President Director, Rahmad Pribadi, stated that the agricultural sector in Sikka Regency has significant potential for productivity enhancement. In addition to rice and corn, plantation crops such as cocoa are key commodities that require productivity improvement.

"At Pupuk Indonesia, we support food self-sufficiency, which is why we are committed to ensuring fertilizer availability and stock management. Maumere has great agricultural potential, and we will continue to educate and socialize farmers on the proper management of subsidized fertilizers to maximize their benefits," said Rahmad.

According to Pupuk Indonesia’s data, the government has allocated 7,180 tons of subsidized fertilizer for Sikka Regency in 2025. The allocation includes 3,500 tons of urea, 3,500 tons of NPK, and 180 tons of Special Formula NPK. This subsidized fertilizer will be distributed to registered farmers across 21 districts according to the government’s allocation plan.

Rahmad emphasized that registered farmers under the Definitive Group Needs Plan (RDKK) can redeem the subsidized fertilizer starting January 1, 2025. As of January 24, 2025, the realization of subsidized fertilizer absorption in Sikka Regency has reached 185 tons, consisting of 106 tons of urea and 79 tons of NPK.

As part of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), Pupuk Indonesia has prepared a stock of 1,014 tons of subsidized fertilizer in Sikka Regency as of January 24, 2025, equivalent to 260 percent of the government’s minimum stock requirement. This includes 650 tons of urea, 344 tons of NPK, and 22 tons of Special Formula NPK, ensuring that registered farmers can immediately access these supplies to boost agricultural productivity.

Rahmad highlighted that redeeming subsidized fertilizer is now more accessible than ever. Registered farmers in Sikka Regency only need to bring their National Identity Card (KTP) to partner kiosks and complete the redemption process using the iPubers application developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Pupuk Indonesia.

Pupuk Indonesia emphasized that farmers eligible for subsidized fertilizer must meet the criteria set by the government under Minister of Agriculture Regulation (Permentan) No. 1 of 2024. Farmers must be members of a farmer group in their respective regions, and their data must be recorded in the Agricultural Extension Management Information System (Simluhtan).

Furthermore, eligible farmers must have a maximum land area of two hectares and cultivate one of the nine designated commodities: rice, corn, soybeans, chili, shallots, garlic, sugarcane, cocoa, and coffee. Farmers who exceed the land area limit or do not meet the specified criteria will not qualify for subsidized fertilizer.

"Redemption only requires an ID card, but farmers must first be registered in the RDKK. This year marks a historic milestone for the redemption process, as we successfully facilitated transactions starting at 00:00:22 on January 1, 2025. The first redemption was recorded in Lampung, and by the end of the day, approximately 4,500 transactions had taken place. This is a significant achievement," said Rahmad.

For unregistered farmers, Rahmad noted that they still have the opportunity to access subsidized fertilizer through the government’s registration policy, which opens every four months in accordance with Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 1 of 2024.

"Sikka Regency is one of the largest cocoa producers in NTT. The central government has provided fertilizer for cocoa farmers, and Pupuk Indonesia has secured its stock. Farmers who are not yet registered can take advantage of the registration periods, which open every four months. Registration can be done directly through agricultural extension officers (PPL), and Pupuk Indonesia will continue to support and assist farmers in the registration process," he concluded