Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Agriculture is strengthening the Rice Crop Insurance (AUTP) program to maintain rice production and protect farmers amid predicted changes in rainfall patterns in early 2026.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman emphasized that food self-sufficiency cannot rely solely on increasing production but also on ensuring that farmers are well-protected.
"Farmer protection is the foundation of food self-sufficiency. The state is here to ensure that farmers do not bear risks alone, giving them the certainty to continue planting and producing," he said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
The AUTP program is designed to protect farmers from the risk of harvest failure due to floods, droughts, or pest infestations while ensuring the sustainability of farming operations on the ground.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicted that rainfall distribution in early 2026 will remain at moderate levels across most of Indonesia.
However, shifting rainfall patterns in several regions serve as a warning of potential production disruptions and farming uncertainty.
"These conditions reinforce the importance of farming protection as part of the national strategy to maintain food production," the minister stated.
The government reaffirmed that farmer protection is implemented through various policy instruments, ranging from stabilizing unhusked rice prices to strengthening risk mitigation, to ensure the sustainability of national production.
The ministry’s Director General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities, Andi Nur Alam Syah, noted that the AUTP is a key part of Indonesia's strategy to secure production from upstream to downstream.
He explained that farmers or farmer groups register for the AUTP with the assistance of extension workers through the Agricultural Insurance Information System (SIAP) application. This ensures that data collection and the claims process remain organized and transparent.
In 2026, regional governments' support through regional budgets remains the primary backbone of the AUTP program's sustainability.
The risk mitigation support for rice farming is provided for an area of 94,036.67 hectares, even though state budget allocations are not yet available.
So far, 13 provinces have allocated funds in their regional budgets to support AUTP: North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Jambi, Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Bali, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, and South Sulawesi.
