The Central Java Provincial Government has formed a strategic partnership with the European Union Delegation to promote sustainable and low-carbon rice production through the SWITCH-Asia Low Carbon Project. This collaboration aims to position Central Java as a rice granary while reducing carbon emissions, lowering production costs, and improving farmers' livelihoods. The SWITCH-Asia programme is one of the European Union's key initiatives to promote Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). The focus of the collaboration is on achieving food self-sufficiency in Central Java, particularly in terms of low-emission rice production. Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi said the collaboration includes low-carbon rice, as well as investment, tourism, agriculture and industry. In the first quarter of 2025, Central Java's economic growth rate outperformed the national average by 4.98%, reaching IDR 21.8 trillion in investment inflows and creating nearly 97,505 new employment opportunities.
Klaten, Sragen, and Boyolali play a key role in the SWITCH-Asia Low Carbon Rice Project as rice-producing regions. These areas will also become pilot sites for rice mills transitioning to energy-efficient practices. The European Union Ambassador to Indonesia, HE Denis Chaibi, stated that the SWITCH-Asia Low Carbon Rice Project is funded by the European Union and implemented by Preferred by Nature, in collaboration with the Indonesian Rice Millers and Rice Entrepreneurs Association (PERPADI) and the People's Coalition for Food Sovereignty (KRKP). Furthermore, this collaboration has facilitated assistance to 150 rice mills in Central Java and East Java. As part of these efforts, environmentally friendly post-harvest technology is being introduced, with a transition underway from diesel-powered mills to electricity-based mills.
