Indonesia targets 3 million tons of sugar output by 2026

[hartono]

File photo - A farmer harvests sugarcane in Lumajang, East Java, October 8, 2025. (ANTARA FOTO/Irfan Sumanjaya/bar)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is aiming to increase national sugar production to 3 million tons by 2026 as part of efforts to achieve sugar self-sufficiency, reduce imports, and strengthen food security.

Current national sugar output stands at around 2.68 million tons, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said in a statement on Saturday.

The target is intended to meet domestic demand for white sugar, he added.

To achieve this, the Ministry of Agriculture plans to expand and optimize sugarcane plantations to cover 100,000 hectares nationwide, with about 70,000 hectares located in East Java.

Sulaiman said the program involves cross-sector coordination among ministries, regional governments, state-owned enterprises, and law enforcement agencies to accelerate implementation on the ground.

"If East Java succeeds, we will stop importing white sugar next year, as more than 50 percent of national sugarcane plantations are located there," he said.

He noted that the government has held coordination meetings with the East Java administration, state-owned plantation firms, and other related institutions.

The sugarcane development program will be carried out in stages from now through January–March next year, he added.

In addition to land expansion, the ministry is preparing production support, including infrastructure and farming equipment.

For East Java, the government plans to distribute at least 100 tractors and other agricultural machinery to boost productivity at the farmer level.

Sulaiman said achieving the sugarcane development target would significantly increase national sugar output.

"If this succeeds, Indonesia will not only stop importing white sugar but also strengthen food sovereignty and improve farmers' welfare," he added.

Indonesia targets 3 million tons of sugar output by 2026

The Indonesian government is aiming to increase national sugar production to 3 million tons by 2026 as part of efforts to achieve sugar self-sufficiency, ...

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