Indonesia Moves to Halt Conversion of Rice Fields to Protect Food Supply

Indonesia has moved to stop the conversion of rice fields into industrial and residential land as the government seeks to safeguard food production amid rapid urban development, the agrarian affairs minister said on Wednesday.

Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Nusron Wahid. Photo: YouTube/ Sekretariat Presiden

JAKARTA — Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Nusron Wahid said Indonesia lost about 554,000 hectares of paddy fields between 2019 and 2024, largely due to the expansion of housing and industrial estates, posing a risk to the government’s goal of achieving food self-sufficiency.

Under a new presidential decree, the government requires that at least 87% of existing paddy fields classified as Permanent Food Crops Land (LP2B) be protected from conversion.

Nusron said current regional regulations fall short of that threshold, with provincial rules protecting around 67% of fields on average, and district-level protections at about 41%.

“We are in a situation that requires urgent correction in spatial planning,” Nusron told reporters at the Presidential Palace. “Until regional governments adjust their zoning regulations to meet the 87% requirement, we will treat existing rice fields as protected land and no conversion will be allowed.”

The ministry has identified 409 districts whose spatial plans do not yet comply with the new standards. Regional administrations have been given six months to revise their spatial plans, known as RTRW.

Nusron added that the government would also review past land-use decisions and investigate potential violations of spatial regulations by companies and local authorities.

Indonesia has faced mounting pressure to balance industrial expansion with the need to maintain agricultural land, particularly on densely populated islands such as Java, where land demand is high.