West Manggarai, May 3, 2025 – PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) remains committed to meeting the needs of registered farmers in West Manggarai Regency for subsidized fertilizers in accordance with regulations. Currently, Pupuk Indonesia has provided a stock of 1,715 tons of subsidized fertilizer in West Manggarai, which is a rice granary of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province.

The President Director of Pupuk Indonesia, Rahmad Pribadi, confirmed this during his visit to West Manggarai on Friday (May 2, 2025). As of May 2, 2025, the stock consists of 1,324 tons of Urea and 391 tons of NPK. This stock level exceeds the minimum requirement set by the Government.

"The Government has improved the governance of subsidized fertilizer distribution through Presidential Regulation Number 6 of 2025. Essentially, Pupuk Indonesia, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, is responsible for distributing subsidized fertilizers up to the handover point, namely kiosks or farmer group unions (gapoktan), so that farmers don’t have to travel far. The Government truly wants to bring services closer to the people," said Rahmad.

For the NTT Province as a whole, Pupuk Indonesia has also ensured an adequate supply, totaling 19,753 tons—consisting of 10,819 tons of Urea and 8,933 tons of NPK. He emphasized that all of this stock exceeds the minimum requirement set by the Government, making it safe and sufficient at both provincial and regency/city levels in NTT.

"When we talk about productivity, fertilizer plays a very significant role. It's impossible to improve agricultural productivity without fertilizer. Therefore, we urge all registered farmers to redeem subsidized fertilizer in support of the planting season," he added.

During this working visit, Rahmad also offered concrete solutions to registered farmers in Tanjung Boleng Village, Boleng District, West Manggarai Regency. He stated that he had received reports that farmers in Tanjung Boleng were struggling to access subsidized fertilizers due to distance and poor road infrastructure when redeeming them at kiosks.

Therefore, he added, Pupuk Indonesia has temporarily opened a fertilizer redemption service in Labuan Bajo, allowing farmers in Tanjung Boleng to redeem fertilizer closer to home. Once a village cooperative is established, farmers will be able to redeem it right there without traveling far.

"For now, we can temporarily shift the redemption point to Labuan Bajo. By September, we plan to stock fertilizer in the village warehouse in Tanjung Boleng, which is currently being prepared. I want Tanjung Boleng to serve as an example of how to properly serve farmers in remote villages. I have a direct mandate—wherever the farmers are, we must serve them well," Rahmad stated.

To support the smooth distribution and service of subsidized fertilizers in NTT, including West Manggarai, Pupuk Indonesia has also prepared several supporting facilities. These include 15 field officers, 24 buffer warehouses, 10 distributors, and 405 kiosks/retailers.

He further explained that the Government has taken significant steps to simplify regulations and improve the governance of subsidized fertilizer distribution. In 2025, subsidized fertilizers have been available for redemption since January 1, ensuring optimal distribution to boost agricultural productivity.

As of April 2025, the absorption of subsidized fertilizer in NTT has reached 28,895 tons, or 20 percent of the total annual allocation of 145,438 tons. This contribution has also supported the highest national rice productivity achievement in the past seven years during the January–April 2025 period.

"For the October–March planting season, subsidized fertilizer absorption reached 4.5 million tons, compared to only 3 million tons in the previous year. That’s a 50 percent increase. The impact is clear—Indonesia no longer needs to import rice and is even considering exporting it. The Government is truly committed to increasing agricultural productivity," Rahmad concluded.

Meanwhile, the Head of Tanjung Boleng Village, Saharudin, appreciated Pupuk Indonesia’s prompt action in providing easier access to subsidized fertilizer in Labuan Bajo for registered farmers in Tanjung Boleng. Thanks to this solution, farmers in Tanjung Boleng can now obtain subsidized fertilizer more easily than before.

“Most of Tanjung Boleng’s residents are farmers. We’re definitely very happy and grateful for the policy to allow fertilizer redemption in Labuan Bajo for our registered farmers. It’s closer and the transportation costs are cheaper,” he stated.