Agriculture in Indonesia

The country of Indonesia in south eastern Asia is made up of 17,500 of islands. It is home to over 269 million people (April 2019), making it the world’s fourth most populous country. Lying on both sides of the equator, Indonesia is a tropical country with two main seasons: wet and dry. The country is rich in biodiversity, and generates a wide range of crops and agricultural products, including: rice, sugarcane, maize, cassava, tropical fruits, palm oil, palm kernel, rubber, cocoa, tea, tobacco and a variety of spices. On average there are two harvests annually, but in some irrigated areas it is possible to produce three crops per year. In 2016, agriculture contributed 13.95 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product); around 32 percent of the total population is employed in this sector.  The majority of those involved in agriculture are smallholder farmers, generally working an area of land of less than one hectare and typically involved in horticulture and growing rice and maize. About 15 percent of the total agricultural area is given over to large plantations which cultivate crops for export. Nonetheless, Indonesia is a net importer of grains, fruit and vegetables, and livestock produce.