PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) held a Sugarcane Harvest and Farmers’ Dialogue event with the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. The event, which was attended by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was a tangible manifestation of Pupuk Indonesia’s commitment to supporting the achievement of sugar self-sufficiency, in line with the government's Asta Cita vision for food security.

During the event, the Vice President reiterated the government’s full commitment to improving the productivity of national sugarcane farmers to achieve sugar self-sufficiency. He stated that the government targets self-sufficiency in sugar for consumption to be achieved by 2026, and national sugar self-sufficiency by 2027 or, at the latest, 2028. To meet this target, the Vice President said the government is ready to assist farmers in finding solutions to various agricultural challenges, including seed quality, water availability, and fertilizer access.

"The President's directive is clear, and we will work together to make it happen. God willing, next year we will achieve self-sufficiency in sugar for consumption. By 2027, or at the latest 2028, we will reach full sugar self-sufficiency," said Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka in his address at the event.

Meanwhile, President Director of Pupuk Indonesia, Rahmad Pribadi, expressed his appreciation for the presence of the Vice President and government officials at the Farmers’ Dialogue event organized by Pupuk Indonesia. He stated that the Farmers’ Dialogue is a program initiated by Pupuk Indonesia to create a forum for dialogue that brings together the government, farmers, and various stakeholders to discuss challenges in the agricultural sector and formulate joint solutions. Rahmad added that in the past six months, Pupuk Indonesia has held 92 Farmers’ Dialogue sessions in various regions across Indonesia.

"This Farmers’ Dialogue is actually inspired by the examples set by the nation’s leaders who have always been close to farmers and strongly supportive of them," Rahmad said.

Additionally, Rahmad expressed his gratitude to the government for simplifying the regulations regarding subsidized fertilizers, through the issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 6 of 2025 concerning the Management of Subsidized Fertilizers. He mentioned that due to these regulatory simplifications, the distribution of subsidized fertilizers in the first half of this year has reached 3.9 million tons—the highest in the last three years.

"On this occasion, we express our deepest gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia for simplifying the fertilizer regulations," he said.

Rahmad emphasized that Pupuk Indonesia fully supports the government’s vision of achieving national sugar self-sufficiency. This support includes ensuring the availability and accessibility of high-quality fertilizers for sugarcane farmers, especially the availability of ZA fertilizer (Zwavelzuur Ammonium/Ammonium Sulfate).

ZA fertilizer is one of Pupuk Indonesia’s products specially formulated for sugarcane crops, containing 21% Nitrogen (N), 24% Sulfur (S), and 1,000 ppm Zinc (Zn). This fertilizer helps stimulate the growth of tillers, plant height, and number of leaves; enhances chlorophyll formation for greener leaves; improves crop quality by enhancing color, aroma, taste, and fruit/tuber size; and increases soil fertility, making plants more resistant to pests. Currently, Pupuk Indonesia has a ZA fertilizer production capacity of 750,000 tons per year, which is sufficient to meet national demand.

Rahmad also noted that the government has decided to include ZA fertilizer in the category of subsidized fertilizers. In response to this policy, Pupuk Indonesia is fully committed to ensuring the availability of ZA fertilizer to support the increased productivity of national sugarcane cultivation.

"Going forward, ZA fertilizer or fertilizer for sugarcane crops will be included in the list of government-subsidized fertilizers," he said.

The Farmers’ Dialogue program is one of Pupuk Indonesia’s initiatives to promote national agricultural productivity through intensive support and by ensuring the availability of quality fertilizers for farmers. In addition to the Vice President, this Sugarcane Harvest and Farmers’ Dialogue event was also attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman; Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, General Agus Subiyanto; Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Aminuddin Ma’ruf; Deputy Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region, KGPAA Paku Alam X; and Chairperson of Commission IV of the House of Representatives, Siti Hediati Soeharto, along with approximately 250 sugarcane farmers.

During the event, the Vice President, along with other stakeholders and farmers, participated in a ceremonial sugarcane harvest on a 4-hectare plot of land. The total yield from this land is estimated at 280 tons of sugarcane. The event also included a dialogue session between the Vice President and the farmers to directly absorb their aspirations and discuss the challenges and needs in increasing sugarcane productivity and national food security.

The Vice President also symbolically handed over 10 tons of non-subsidized fertilizer to the farmers. Meanwhile, Pupuk Indonesia showcased a demonstration of agricultural technology—agriculture drones that can help farmers with fertilization, pesticide spraying, and more efficient and precise land monitoring.