Indonesia Hits Record Rice Stock, Eyes Export Opportunities

Last week, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman announced that Indonesia's government rice reserves (CBP) are projected to reach 4 million tons by May 2025 — the highest level ever recorded. Currently, rice stored at Bulog warehouses has reached 3.36 million tons, expected to grow to 3.7 million tons by early May.

This historic stockpile provides the country with strong resilience against emergencies such as supply shortages, natural disasters, or price instability. Uniquely, Indonesia is now in a position to consider exporting rice rather than importing it.

Speaking at the launch of the Indonesia Planting Movement (Gerina) in Banyuasin, South Sumatra, on Wednesday (April 23, 2025), President Prabowo Subianto confirmed that several countries had requested rice exports from Indonesia. He approved the idea, citing surplus production.

"I received reports from the Agriculture Minister and Food Coordinating Minister. Some countries asked us for rice. I approved it! I ordered it to be sent," said President Prabowo.

Despite this green light, Minister Amran expressed reluctance to export in the near term. He emphasized the need to prioritize domestic stock stability before considering overseas sales.

“We need to strengthen our internal reserves first,” Amran said during a national coordination meeting with 37,000 agricultural extension officers held in hybrid format in Jakarta, Saturday (April 26, 2025).

He added that global climate risks underscore the importance of maintaining more-than-adequate reserves. Amran warned that nations like Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines had faced food crises due to erratic weather conditions.

“We must prepare for the worst. We cannot afford to end up like those countries,” Amran stressed.

He also noted that some global rice exporters may still prefer to see Indonesia remain dependent on imports. However, that narrative is changing. According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), as of April 2025, national grain output reached 13.9 million tons, while domestic rice consumption stood at 10.7 million tons.

Bulog's current stock of over 3 million tons is the highest in the past 23 years. Amran also cited data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which remarked that Indonesia's production surge had “disappointed” some rice-exporting nations.

Recently, speculation has surfaced that Malaysia might import rice from Indonesia. However, Trade Minister Budi Santoso clarified that no formal request has been made yet.

“There’s been no official request. If it happens, perhaps there will be an MoU like when we used to import from Vietnam,” Budi explained.

He noted that Malaysia is currently facing a rice crisis, with domestic output covering only 40–50% of its demand. The Ministry of Trade confirmed it would follow President Prabowo’s direction regarding any potential exports.