January 8, 2026 | 11:13 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has conferred an honor on the Minister of Agriculture, Amran Sulaiman. Amran has been awarded the Bintang Jasa Utama (Main Service Star) because he is considered instrumental in achieving rice self-sufficiency last year.
The conferment of the honor took place during the Harvest Festival and Announcement of Food Self-Sufficiency in Karawang, West Java, on Wednesday, December 7, 2026. In the event, the President's Military Secretary, Major General Wahyu Yudhayana, read out Presidential Decree Number 1/TK of 2026 and Number 2/TK of 2026, which became the basis for the conferring of the service and honor.
"Confer the service honor of the main service star as an award for his great service in a certain field or specific event that is beneficial for the safety, welfare, and greatness of the nation and state," said Wahyu as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat.
Wahyu then read out the names of the recipients of the service and honor. "Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Agriculture, is bestowed with the honor of the Main Service Star," he said.
Prabowo then discussed the conferral of the honor to Amran in his speech. He mentioned that Amran's service was in recognition of his hard work to achieve rice self-sufficiency.
"Brother Andi Amran Sulaiman, I give the Main Service Star to. With all of you, all ranks, you have secured the future of the Indonesian nation," said Prabowo. He also said that he would continue to work towards self-sufficiency in rice and other foods.
In addition to Amran, President Prabowo also awarded service and honor to several other individuals. Those present included Bojonegoro Regent Setyo Wahono, Karawang Regent Aep Syaepuloh, National Board of Independent Farmers of Indonesia Chairman Don Muzakir, and agricultural extension workers and farmers from farming groups.
In the Harvest Festival and Announcement of Food Self-Sufficiency in Karawang, Prabowo stated that Indonesia has entered the phase of food independence and is no longer dependent on supplies from other nations.
He said that, in just one year since his inauguration, Indonesia succeeded in becoming self-sufficient in rice and food, surpassing the initial four-year target.
"We have been self-sufficient for one year. We are standing on our own feet. We are not dependent on other nations," said Prabowo. Previously, Prabowo also claimed that Indonesia did not import rice throughout 2025.
Experts have questioned the claim of self-sufficiency. Activist of the Association of Indonesian Political Economics (AEPI) Khudori, considered that the government needs to provide a clear definition regarding food self-sufficiency. The aim is to avoid different interpretations in society.
"What is the definition of self-sufficiency? Is it intended that 90 percent of domestic needs can be fulfilled from domestic production? So, there is a 10 percent space for imports, or should it be 100 percent without imports so that domestic needs must be fulfilled by self-production?" he said as quoted by Antara, Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
Khudori stated that since his inauguration on October 20, 2024, President Prabowo Subianto has never explained in detail the meaning of food self-sufficiency. He assessed that, without a clear definition, the public would find it difficult to evaluate the government's achievements. He gave the example that if self-sufficiency is defined as meeting 90 percent of domestic needs through self-production, then Indonesia has actually been self-sufficient in rice for a long time.
From 2018 to 2024, data show that the average rice imports were only 3.85 percent of total consumption. The highest import portion occurred in 2024 at 15.03 percent, while in other years it was below 10 percent.
"This means, outside of 2024, Indonesia has been self-sufficient in rice, just like in 2025. Then, should this kind of thing be announced?" said Khudori.
Read: Expert Questions Prabowo's Food Self-Sufficiency Claims
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