Efforts to strengthen national food sovereignty demonstrated a tangible step forward during the inaugural soybean harvest held at Buperta Cibubur on Saturday, 18 April 2026. This collaborative initiative brought together the Scout Movement (Gerakan Pramuka), the Ministry of Agriculture, Kadin Indonesia, and the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) to address the nation’s high dependency on soybean imports.
Present at the harvest site were the Secretary General of the National Scouts, Major General TNI (Ret.) Bahtiar; the Director of Various Beans and Tubers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Dyah; and the Vice Chairman of Kadin Indonesia, Andi Yuslim Patawari. Also participating in the harvest inspection was Petrus Tjandra, attending in his capacity as the Chairman of the Soybean Division at DPN HKTI and representing Agro Investama Group.
The five-hectare pilot plot in Cibubur is projected to reach a productivity of two to three tonnes per hectare. Notably, this area also serves as an educational hub for farmers by implementing three distinct fertilisation methods: chemical, organic, and a hybrid approach. This strategy aims to identify the most effective formula for enhancing crop yields sustainably.
During the field discussions, Petrus Tjandra emphasised that the success of food sovereignty programmes depends heavily on comprehensive farmer guidance. Beyond production inputs like seeds and fertilisers, price certainty remains a crucial factor in sustaining farmer interest. This aligns with the vision pursued through Integrated Farming developments on lands managed by Agro Investama Group, where ecosystem integration is key to ensuring that food self-sufficiency coexists with the welfare of local farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture has set an ambitious target of 37,500 hectares for soybean development in 2026. The primary challenge remains national seed availability, which must be addressed swiftly to support these targets. Consequently, the government continues to forge partnerships with producer cooperatives to guarantee the domestic absorption of harvests.
The synergy created in Cibubur is expected to spark the expansion of similar programmes in other regions. Kadin Indonesia is also advocating for price intervention to ensure local soybeans can compete effectively with imported commodities. Through this multi-stakeholder collaboration, Indonesia aims to gradually reduce import dependency and meet its plant-based protein needs from its own soil.
Tags: Kedaulatan pangan, Kedelai, Soybean
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