Qurrat Abu Ayub

I ndonesia spends Rp 46.87 trillion (US$2.76 billion) per year subsidizing fertilizer. That figure exceeds the combined budgets of several ministries. To keep the nation fed and 15 million hectares of rice and corn productive, the government distributes 9.55 million tons of subsidized urea, NPK and other inputs to farmers registered in the e-Approved Group Requirements Plan (RDKK) system.

resident Prabowo Subianto’s renewed call to expand oil palm plantation areas has sparked debates on deforestation and climate commitments. While palm oil brings in more than US$20 billion annually and supports millions of Indonesians, expansion without soil health in mind risks long-term productivity and ecological stability. Prabowo’s stance that deforestation fears are “nonsense” because “oil palms are trees” overlooks crucial differences between diverse forests and monoculture plantations.