Govt Asked to Ensure Food Supply and Access If `PPKM Darurat` Enforced
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1 July 2021 07:06 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) Head of Research Felippa Ann Amanta assessed that public access to food is increasingly important amid uncertainty in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and plans for the enforcement of emergency public activity restrictions (Emergency PPKM or PPKM Darurat).
Thus, the central government, local governments, entrepreneurs, and food distributors must join hands to maintain the food supply and access for the community.
“Almost all Indonesia’s strategic food production centers are on the island of Java. On this basis, ports also play a vital role in the distribution process. But what is more important is the implementation in the field which must comply with the Emergency PPKM rules,” said Felippa in a press release received by Bisnis.com on Wednesday, June 30.
Data from the World Bank High-Frequency Survey showed that during the enforcement of the Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) last year, more than 31 percent of Indonesian households experienced food shortages in May 2020.
The higher prevalence for households outside Java, underprivileged, and whose low income indicated that economic distribution and access were linked to food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CIPS thus recommended the government to ensure the implementation of Covid-19 prevention and handling protocols, including access to vaccinations for workers at the forefront of the food sector as well as food storage and delivery areas.
Felippa went on to say that the government must also guarantee permits of operation not only for the basic food processing industry but also for the supporting industries once the PPKM Darurat is enforced.
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