Jakarta. Chief Food Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan recently said that Banten had an adequate supply of subsidized fertilizers.

The minister visited state-run fertilizer maker Pupuk Indonesia's Sumurpecung Line III warehouse in Serang, Banten earlier this week. Zulkifli said that he was confident that farmers should not have any worries about getting their subsidized fertilizers.

"We have seen [Pupuk Indonesia's presentation] on the fertilizer distribution, warehouse, and transportation system. So I believe we have an adequate supply. There will be no obstacles this planting season," Zulkifli was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

He also praised Pupuk Indonesia's work in preparing the subsidized fertilizers to be distributed across Indonesia. He is also upbeat that Indonesia will be self-sufficient in its food production by 2027.

"I'm confident that we will no longer need to import rice anymore. Thank you, Pupuk Indonesia. We share the goal of achieving food self-sufficiency in 2027," Zulkifli Hasan said.

According to Pupuk Indonesia's president director Rahmad Pribadi, the warehouse that Zulkifli had visited holds a capacity of 8,000 tons. 

"We are ready to serve the farmers who wish to redeem their subsidized fertilizers," Rahmad said.

As of Jan. 9, Banten's subsidized fertilizers supply stood at 14,155 tons.

The province's urea fertilizer had reached 9,962.9 tons, fivefold the government's requirement of 1,989.4 tons. Banten also has 4,032.1 tons of the so-called NPK fertilizers. This is 310 percent of the required 1,300.3 tons. Last but not least, its organic fertilizer supply hit 160 tons.

Rahmad also thanked other parties, including the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs, the Agricultural Ministry, and the State-Owned Enterprise Ministry, for its success of distributing the subsidized fertilizers. Its distribution had already begun on Jan. 1.

As of Jan. 8, Banten's farmers had already got 1,923.5 tons of the subsidized urea fertilizers. The redemption rate for NPK fertilizer stood at 1,541 tons. The local farmers have also retrieved 5 tons of organic fertilizers so far.

"Pupuk Indonesia has partnered with the Banten's provincial government to optimize the redemption of subsidized fertilizers through a number of programs. We hope that farmers can take advantage of these fertilizers to support the national food self-sufficiency goal," Rahmad said.

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