For President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October, achieving self-sufficiency in food production within five years is key to cementing Indonesia’s security, self-reliance, health and international status. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and EPA/Jiji)

Prabowo's priority: Indonesia's food security quest faces tough challenges

Production and logistics efficiency must be improved and corruption tackled, experts warn

NANA SHIBATA, Nikkei staff writer

January 3, 2025 06:01 JST

SUBANG, Indonesia -- In a quiet rice paddy two hours' drive southeast from Jakarta sits an outwardly unassuming facility whose backers hope offers the key to achieving one of Prabowo Subianto's top priorities as the new president of Indonesia -- achieving self-sufficiency in food production within five years.

The building in Subang, West Java province, hosts a "seed bank," storing more than 1,500 varieties of rice seeds collected across the globe.