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Coordinating Minister for Agriculture Zulkifli Hasan dismissed claims of a trade agreement between Indonesia and the United States that would require Jakarta to import agricultural commodities from Washington.

He stated that Indonesia is currently not importing rice or chicken meat, noting that the nation's rice stock maintained a surplus of 1.2 million tons in 2025. Moreover, Indonesia is scheduled to export 2,280 tons of rice to Saudi Arabia the day after tomorrow. "So, for now, we have a surplus," Zulhas remarked at the Parliament Complex on Thursday, February 26, 2026.

He claimed that the production of agricultural commodities in Indonesia is also set to increase next year. This projection stems from the government's plan to implement a massive protein self-sufficiency project throughout 2026.

To support this initiative, he mentioned that the Ministry of Trade has announced plans to establish feed factories and produce day-old chicks (DoC) for distribution across Indonesia.

"So, it is not just a temporary surplus; hopefully, last year and the following years will see an increase," said the Chairperson of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Meanwhile, Indonesia's obligation to import agricultural products from the United States, totaling US$4.5 billion, as part of a bilateral trade agreement, is documented in the Agreement of Reciprocal Trade (ART).

This obligation is specified in the fourth annex of the ART document, titled "Purchase Commitment," under the agricultural products category. In the first point, Indonesia is obliged to support and facilitate commercial agreements to import agricultural commodities such as cotton, flour, rice, and corn.

In the second point, the United States requires Indonesia to increase imports of its agricultural products. Furthermore, the third point states that the United States will not consider Indonesia in violation of the commitment if the annual import volume mentioned in the second point fails to meet the specified amount.

Source : tempo