Indonesia to increase provision of subsidized fertilizer

The Indonesian government will increase the amount of subsidized fertilizers it supplies to farmers in 2024 from 4.7 million tonnes to 9.55 million tonnes, local media reported on Monday. The measure is designed to improve farmers’ access to crop nutrients, which will help to control rising production costs for rice growers, the outlets said.

The country’s agriculture minister, Amran Sulaiman, announced the move following a meeting with President Joko Widodo, saying that regional heads will soon be instructed to distribute the subsidized fertilizers to farmers. The minister predicted that Indonesia’s rice harvest will total 3.5 million tonnes in March, which he said will be enough to meet demand.