Transparency Regarding the Ministry of Agriculture’s IDR 2.5 Trillion Budget |

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A meeting in Jakarta between the Governor of Aceh, Muzakir Manaf, and the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, ended controversially, even sparking excessive suspicion. The controversy did not stem from the meeting itself, but rather from the content of a discussion topic circulating on social media platforms.

Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman questioned the IDR 2.5 trillion budget that had been allocated to the Aceh Government following the floods that occurred in late 2025. "Where was that budget used? The public is asking us about it"—this was the essence of Amran Sulaiman’s statement.

Muzakir Manaf (known as Mualem)—who had previously received praise for his efforts in managing the flood crisis—found himself seemingly backed into a corner. Various suspicions regarding the use of these funds began to surface across social media platforms.

This is indeed a sensitive issue, especially given the reality on the ground: many victims have yet to receive aid, and various public facilities—such as the Kutablang bridge in Bireuen, as well as infrastructure in Bener Meriah and Central Aceh, to name a few locations—are not yet fully operational.

The figure of IDR 2.5 trillion naturally draws significant attention. In a situation where Aceh is still struggling to revive its agricultural sector after being battered by hydrometeorological disasters, such a large sum inevitably raises both hopes and questions.

The simplest question is: where is the money, and who has received it?

Such questions are entirely reasonable—indeed, they are essential. Disaster recovery funds are not merely figures in government documents; behind them lie farmers who have lost their rice paddies, damaged plantations, destroyed crops, and families deprived of their livelihoods. In Cot Gapu, Bireuen, for instance, farmers have been unable to return to their fields because irrigation channels remain unrepaired.

However, before concluding that the IDR 2.5 trillion in aid has vanished or failed to reach Aceh, the public needs to understand one crucial point: central government support does not always mean the funds are deposited directly into the Aceh Government's treasury. As explained by the Aceh Regional Secretary, Muhammad Nasir, of the Ministry of Agriculture’s total support package of IDR 2.5 trillion, approximately IDR 515 billion was allocated to regional work units. Of that amount, IDR 9.7 billion was allocated to the Aceh Provincial Government, while IDR 505.3 billion went to regency and city governments.

This budget did not enter the regional government treasuries; instead, it remained with the Banda Aceh State Treasury Service Office (KPPN) under the management of the Ministry of Finance.

Meanwhile, the remaining IDR 2 trillion was managed by the Ministry of Agriculture’s central work units and technical agencies in the form of programs and direct aid—including agricultural machinery, food crop seeds, and seedlings for coffee, cocoa, rubber, and coconut.

This is where the issue regarding government communication becomes apparent.

The figure of IDR 2.5 trillion is too large to announce without a clear breakdown. Amran Sulaiman’s line of questioning appeared to put the Aceh administration—and Mualem specifically—on the spot. Amran Sulaiman ought to have been fully aware of the specific channels through which the funds for Aceh flowed and the exact amounts involved. If the Minister of Agriculture was indeed aware yet still posed such challenging questions, his intentions warrant scrutiny.

The public has a right to know the details: how much was provided in cash versus goods; how much was managed by the central government versus regional governments; which regencies received aid and who the recipients were; and the status of distribution—specifically, how much has been disbursed and how much is still in process.

Without such information, the IDR 2.5 trillion figure easily transforms into a political number—impressive when announced, yet vague when the public seeks to see the actual benefits.

The Ministry of Agriculture should not leave such an information gap. The central government needs to present data on its support for Aceh openly and in a manner easily understood by the public. This requires more than just aggregate figures; it calls for a detailed list of programs, values, locations, recipients, progress updates, and completion targets.

Such transparency does not signal a lack of trust in the government; on the contrary, transparency is the most effective way to build trust.

The real issue is not who holds the budget, but whether the farmers affected by the disaster have actually experienced the benefits. Damage data reveals the significant scale of the problem. A total of 57,485 hectares of rice fields have been affected, while the area of ​​impacted plantations reaches 60,438 hectares.

Behind these figures lie real people. There are farmers unable to plant crops and families who have lost their income. There are plantations that will require years to become productive again. Therefore, recovery efforts must not get bogged down in an overly slow bureaucratic pace.

The Ministry of Agriculture must ensure that the entire process is both swift and accountable; one cannot be chosen at the expense of the other. Speed ​​without accountability is dangerous, while accountability without speed burdens the very people awaiting recovery.

The Aceh government, for its part, must serve as an effective liaison between the central government and the farmers. The public should not be left to navigate the bureaucratic complexities involving central and regional work units, the Ministry of Finance, provincial and regency/city governments, and technical agencies on their own.

For farmers, the needs are simple: seeds and equipment must be available, land must return to productivity, and economic livelihoods must be restored.
Therefore, the debate surrounding the IDR 2.5 trillion should not stop at the question of whether the funds have entered the Aceh government's coffers.

The more important question is: how much of this has translated into tangible benefits on the ground?

This is where the public must be critical yet prudent.
If the IDR 2.5 trillion support package is indeed underway, the government need not fear disclosing the full distribution map. In fact, transparency allows any allegations to be countered with hard data.

Ultimately, the success of the recovery program is not measured by the figures announced in Jakarta or Banda Aceh. It will be evident when damaged rice fields turn green again, affected plantations flourish once more, and farmers who lost their income stand back upon their own land.[]

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