Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's debut speech at the UN General Assembly has shown global leaders how much Indonesia craves becoming the world's granary as the country seeks to become a rice supplier for countries in need.
The UN General Assembly's debate has been making international headlines since it kicked off on Tuesday morning New York time. World leaders had taken turns to speak in front of the international audience, both at the hall and at home. The pressure was also on for Indonesia as it was the first time in a decade that the country sent its president to attend the forum.
Prabowo made his UN debut with a speech that tried to strike a balance between calls for world peace and national achievements, including in regards to food supplies. Prabowo warned the crowd of looming hunger amidst the growing world's population. As the world braces for food insecurity, Prabowo revealed that Indonesia had achieved rice self-sufficiency, even having enough supplies for exports. This abundance has put Indonesia on track to become a major grain supplier for global consumers.
"We are confident that in a few years' time Indonesia will be the granary of the world," Prabowo spoke before the world leaders.
Prabowo said that Indonesia's rice production and grain reserves hit a record high this year, without presenting the exact estimates.
"We are now self-sufficient in rice. We are starting now to export rice to other nations in need, including providing rice for Palestine. We are building resilient food supply chains, strengthening farmers' productivity, investing in climate-smart agriculture to ensure food security for both our children and the children of the world," he stated.
When Prabowo delivered his state address last month, the retired army general revealed that Indonesia boasted over 4 million tons of rice reserves, the highest in Indonesia's history. The country is also back to exporting the staple crop "for the first time in decades", according to Prabowo.
Official statistics agency BPS confirmed that Indonesia had begun exporting rice, but it only sold about 60 kilograms in April 2025 alone. The rice exports – which totaled only $175.4 in value – went to the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and the Netherlands. Just earlier this week, Agricultural Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman told reporters that Indonesia had not imported any rice over the past 11 months of Prabowo's presidency.
Prabowo's UN speech was alluding to Indonesia's freshly struck deal with the Palestinian government on the shipments of 10,000 tons of rice aid.
The signed memorandum of understanding also explored the possibility of joint agricultural production. The Southeast Asian country is planning to allocate at least 10,000 hectares of land, possibly in South Sumatra, for this program, while Palestine will provide the necessary technologies.
Israeli genocide in Gaza has taken a toll on the enclave's farmlands.