Makassar City Government Calls for Optimal Use of Urban Plots for Food Security

In a bid to create added value and ensure national food security, the city government of Makassar in South Sulawesi is urging the community to support efforts to convert small urban plots into farmland. With a growing population of 1.4 million and a monthly rice demand of 10-11 tons, the city's available farmland of 1,300-1,400 hectares is under pressure. Mayor Munafri Arifuddin is calling for collaboration between farmers, universities, and the Ministry of Agriculture to maximize the use of agricultural technology to address the gap.

Key Takeaways:

The city of Makassar in South Sulawesi has a growing population of 1.4 million and a monthly rice demand of 10-11 tons.
The city's available farmland spans between 1,300 and 1,400 hectares.
Mayor Munafri Arifuddin is urging the community to support national food security efforts by converting small urban plots into farmland.
The city government is calling for collaboration between farmers, universities, and the Ministry of Agriculture to maximize the use of agricultural technology.
Conventional farming methods are still preferred by local farmer groups, but the city government is emphasizing the importance of adopting digitalization and modern agricultural technologies.
The national self-sufficiency program, part of President Prabowo Subianto's Asta Cita (eight main missions), is actively developing and opening new rice fields to reduce dependence on rice imports.

Statistics:

Monthly rice demand in Makassar: 10-11 tons
Available farmland in Makassar: 1,300-1,400 hectares
Population of Makassar: 1.4 million
New rice fields being developed as part of the national self-sufficiency program in 2025 ( source: unknown )

Sources:

Antiara News, "Makassar City Government Calls for Optimal Use of Urban Plots for Food Security" (August 14, 2025)
HT Digital Content Services with permission from Antara News