Prabowo leads nationwide military-assisted harvest across 43 locations

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto on Friday officially launched a nationwide harvest conducted jointly with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) across 43 locations, with the main ceremony held at Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang, East Java.

The simultaneous harvest was inaugurated through a symbolic siren ceremony led by President Prabowo and TNI Commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto.

“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, on this Friday, July 17, 2026, by the grace of Almighty God, I, Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia, hereby officially declare the nationwide harvest together with the Indonesian National Armed Forces open,” Prabowo said before sounding the siren alongside the TNI commander.

As the siren echoed through the venue, guests applauded the launch of the coordinated harvest of rice, sugarcane, and soybeans from farmland and plantations supported by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The President was joined on stage by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak, Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Muhammad Ali, Air Force Chief of Staff Air Chief Marshal M. Tonny Harjono, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, and Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman.

During the event, Prabowo toured an exhibition showcasing the utilization of sugarcane harvested from Air Force-managed plantations, including its processing into sugar, bioethanol fuel, and downstream products such as monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Under the military's broader food security program, the Indonesian Army assists rice and corn farmers while developing paddy fields and corn plantations on military land.

Meanwhile, the Navy supports soybean farmers and cultivates crops on land within and around naval bases, and the Air Force assists sugarcane farmers and develops sugarcane plantations at air bases, including Abdulrachman Saleh.

For the Air Force's sugarcane program alone, harvesting is being carried out across 236,048 hectares of plantations with an estimated production of 18.38 million metric tons of sugarcane.

This is equivalent to approximately 1.36 million metric tons of sugar, accounting for 45.05 percent of Indonesia's national sugar production target for 2026.

At Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base itself, 800.5 hectares of sugarcane are ready for harvest, with an estimated yield of 72,045 metric tons.

Translator: Genta, Azis Kurmala

Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono

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