Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in a release dated 1 October 2026, estimated Indonesia’s shelled-maize harvested area at 0.29 million hectares in August. That was about 50,000 hectares, or 23.60%, above the 0.23 million hectares in August 2025. The agency put dry-shelled maize production at 14% moisture at 1.74 million tonnes, compared with 1.39 million tonnes a year earlier. The increase was 340,000 tonnes, or 24.81%. Area and production are related but distinct measures: the production estimate combines harvested area with yield per hectare.

BPS estimated a potential harvested area of 0.54 million hectares for September–November 2026 and potential dry-shelled maize production of 3.49 million tonnes at 14% moisture. These are potential estimates published with the September release, not an independent forecast made here or a completed harvest total. The three-month potential period must be kept separate from the monthly August result. “Potential” is the source’s estimate category and does not mean production has already been realized.

The stated moisture content is part of the product definition. August production refers to dry shelled maize standardized to 14% moisture. It is not the same product form as maize measured as harvested ears; BPS uses field information and conversion rates to estimate standardized grain production. Tonnes reported at another moisture level should not be compared directly with the 1.74 million tonnes. Harvested area measures land, not output. Expressing area in tonnes or comparing two product stages as if they were the same measure would be incorrect.

BPS methodology notes say shelled-maize harvested area has been calculated through the Area Sampling Frame (KSA) survey since 2020. The production estimate combines KSA area data with yield from the crop-cutting survey. The agency says yield measurement uses sample plots of 2.5 by 2.5 metres and converts dry harvested maize ears (JTKP) to dry-shelled kernels (JPK) at 14% moisture using rates from the 2020 Maize Conversion Survey. This method shows that the production figure is not simply a count of harvested hectares.

The year-on-year comparison uses August 2025, whereas the potential estimate for the following three months has a separate reference interval. Monthly area and production estimates help track the harvest over time; by themselves they do not establish stocks, sales, feed use, prices or adequacy of supply. The release summary does not detail the provincial distribution of this product. The national totals therefore do not show one region’s share or the outcome for every grower. BPS’s dry-shelled product and 14% moisture definitions should be retained while distinguishing the harvested area, the August period estimate and the potential for the later period.

For policy and market interpretation, these indicators need to be read alongside how the crop is used, its movement between regions, feed and food demand, imports and stocks. A harvest estimate measures a crop flow from fields during the reference period; by itself it does not measure all nationally available supply or final consumption. Comparisons should retain BPS definitions for production, area and yield, and later releases should be checked for revisions.