RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is accelerating the development of smallholder plantations by providing millions of high-quality seedlings. The program is designed to support regional and national economic growth while boosting farmers’ incomes across the country.

“The government is preparing approximately 280 million cocoa and coconut seedlings nationwide,” said Minister of Agriculture and Head of the National Food Agency, Andi Amran Sulaiman, during an unannounced inspection of a coconut and cocoa nursery in Lamomea Village, South Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

The initiative is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen regional and national economic resilience through the agribusiness sector. Currently, the government is developing around 870,000 hectares of plantation land for cocoa, coconut, sugarcane, nutmeg, cashew, coffee, and candlenut.

According to Minister Amran, the program aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to reinforce the agriculture and plantation sectors as pillars of economic development. The government is also promoting downstream processing to transform plantation products into high-value industrial raw materials.

For Southeast Sulawesi, the government has allocated about 38 million seeds as part of the national program. All assistance is provided free of charge, including the supply of high-quality seeds, land preparation, and planting.

“We are breaking new ground, and the workers will remain there continuously for 30 years because, insha Allah, the crops will be productive,” Minister Amran said.

He added that the plantation development and downstream processing program aims to create at least 3 million permanent jobs over the next three years. The government has also allocated IDR 9.5 trillion (approximately USD 522.16 million) for smallholder plantation development during the 2025–2027 period.

During his visit to Konawe Regency, Minister Amran assessed that the coconut and cocoa seedlings developed there were of excellent quality. “This should be replicated throughout Indonesia,” he said.

According to him, the seedlings prepared in Southeast Sulawesi are part of the national plantation development program aimed at supporting the downstream processing of strategic commodities. (Gusti Panji)