Minister of Agriculture encourages USU students to ensure food self-sufficiency
The province of North Sumatra (Sumut) makes a significant contribution to Indonesia’s success in the field of food self-sufficiency. Therefore, the Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, has encouraged students of the University of North Sumatra (USU) to play a role in maintaining the sustainability of national food self-sufficiency through innovation and cooperation.
This appeal was made during a public lecture by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, titled “Innovation and cooperation of the young generation on the road to food self-sufficiency,” which was attended by the Vice-Governor of North Sumatra, Surya, in the USU auditorium on Jalan Dr. Mansur in Medan.
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In his presentation to thousands of students, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman stated that Indonesia will have achieved food self-sufficiency by the end of 2025, the fastest and highest in the history of the Republic of Indonesia.
According to data from Statistics Netherlands (BPS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Indonesian agricultural sector now ranks second in the world, after Brazil. According to Amran, North Sumatra has made a significant contribution to this achievement.
“One of the biggest contributors to this self-sufficiency is North Sumatra. Production there has increased significantly. In fact, our Bulog warehouse is currently full, meaning we need additional warehouses to store the national stock of 5 million tons,” said Amran.
Representatives of Bulog confirmed that the Bulog warehouse in North Sumatra, with a capacity of 73,000 tons, is fully filled. To anticipate the increase in food stocks, Bulog has leased an additional warehouse with a capacity of 21,000 tons.
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In addition to explaining strategies to increase production through a pumping program and the modernization of agricultural technology, such as the use of drones for planting, Amran emphasized the Ministry of Agriculture’s commitment to eradicating fraudulent practices in the agricultural sector.
He revealed that 77 suspects in the agricultural and fertilizer sectors have been prosecuted to date. Furthermore, dozens of ministry employees have been dismissed for involvement in violations.
The Minister of Agriculture also highlighted the price discrepancies for fresh palm oil fruits (FFB) at the farmer level resulting from under-invoicing or manipulation of transaction values by certain companies, which is detrimental to the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
“We at the Ministry of Agriculture will not back down to protect farmers and future generations. We will eradicate these mafias so that our agricultural sector remains healthy and sustainable,” declared the Minister of Agriculture, to loud applause from the students.
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Meanwhile, USU Rector Muryanto Amin expressed his appreciation for the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and the Vice-Governor of North Sumatra on campus. He stated that Andi Amran Sulaiman is a source of inspiration for students due to his life story and his role in the development of the national agricultural sector.
“The Minister of Agriculture is a very inspiring figure. He started at the very bottom of his career, became a successful academic and entrepreneur, and now enjoys the trust of a minister leading Indonesia toward self-sufficiency. His presence offers both theoretical knowledge and practical information that makes us stronger in addressing global challenges,” said Muryanto.
With this public lecture, the Provincial Government of North Sumatra (Pemprov) and the Ministry of Agriculture hope that students and the younger generation will develop various innovations and strengthen cooperation to ensure food security and achieve sustainable food self-sufficiency in Indonesia. ***REL
