Jakarta, Sept. 18 -- Rice self-sufficiency has again become a prominent topic in national food policy.

Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman has loudly voiced his optimism that within the next three months, Indonesia will once again become a nation capable of achieving rice self-sufficiency.

This optimism provides hope, but also raises big questions about whether the self-sufficiency achieved this time will be merely seasonal or whether it will be truly sustainable.

History shows that this nation has succeeded in achieving rice self-sufficiency several times, specifically in 1984 and 2022.

International recognition from world food institutions, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Rice Research In...