Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has decided to double the subsidized fertilizer allocation, raising it from 4.7 million tons to 9.55 million tons. This measure is targeted at alleviating the fertilizer shortage, which has resulted in heightened production costs for rice farmers.

"Good news for farmers throughout Indonesia. The president decided to raise the allocation of subsidized fertilizer from initially 4.7 million tons in 2024, to 9.55 million tons," said Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman after a cabinet meeting with Jokowi at the State Palace Complex on Monday.

Minister Amran mentioned that each regional head will be promptly instructed to release subsidized fertilizer to farmers in need.

In addition, Amran also predicted that the rice harvest in March would reach 3.5 million tons, enough to meet demand for the upcoming fasting month in March.

"Our crops in December, January, and February cover an area of approximately over 1 million hectares, meaning our production will be 3.5 million tons in March," said Amran.

Farmers have been complaining about a lack of subsidized fertilizers. Deden Miftah, 45, a farmer from Garut Regency in West Java, said last week that the availability of fertilizer has significantly diminished in recent days.

Deden is concerned that if the government continues to reduce the allocation of subsidized fertilizer, he will be forced to buy non-subsidized fertilizer, which is more expensive.

Moreover, he said, next month will mark the beginning of the second planting season. That means there will undoubtedly be a high demand for fertilizer.

"If there continues to be a reduction of up to half of our fertilizer needs, it will affect the quality of the rice itself. Starting from the weight, and even the taste of the rice will be affected," said Deden on Thursday.

Dedi Suhardi, 55, a farmer from Subang in West Java said that his crop yields have decreased significantly, from 500 kilograms to 300 kilograms per hectare, due to the lack of fertilizer.