The Indonesian fertilizer company PT Pupuk Kujang (Cikampek) plans to build the nation’s first plant producing nitrate-based NPK fertilizer, with an annual capacity of about 100,000 tons. This move responds to the fact that Indonesia currently imports roughly 500,000 tons of NPK-nitrate fertilizer from Europe and China. The company began research into the new fertilizer early in 2024—including formulation, testing on chili, tomato and potato crops—and intends to start building the plant by late 2025, with completion forecast in around 21 months thereafter.
This initiative offers several important insights. First, by producing locally what has been predominantly imported, Pupuk Kujang is helping bolster Indonesia’s agricultural self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains. Second, the target market is primarily horticulture crops such as chilies and onions, which benefit from nitrate-nitrogen formulas and advanced nutrient profiles; the use of a 15-13-18 NPK formula with 5% nitrate nitrogen has already been demonstrated in demo plots. Third, the project reflects a broader strategy by Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) to expand downstream fertilizer processing, build domestic capacity and reduce raw material imports—an alignment with national goals of food security and industrialisation.
