Indonesian Govt Races to Food Self-Sufficiency; Focuses on Rice, Corn Production

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman stated that his ministry is currently focusing on several commodities, namely rice and corn as national strategic commodities.

"The program will focus on rice and corn commodities. Therefore, I have asked to accelerate [the production] so we could be self-sufficient sooner than later," Amran said on Friday, October 27, 2023.

The first step taken by the Ministry of Agriculture to realize this plan is consolidating the ministry officials to work swiftly. Amran claimed that the ministry is aiming for food self-sufficiency across all commodities, including farms, sugar, rice, and corn.

"So once again, we must lay down the foundation to facilitate the next Minister of Agriculture," he said.

Meanwhile, a farming expert from the Indonesian Economy and Politics Association (AEPI) Khudori said that the ministry indeed needs to prioritize certain commodities due to a lack of time and budget. 

Food self-sufficiency, Khudori set an example, must be re-mapped to decide which one would be realistic enough. If Indonesia does not possess comparative and competitive superior qualities, Khudori urges the government to pull back from food self-sufficiency talks, even including self-sufficient garlic. 

"It would only sound magnificent in theory, while the execution would be significantly disappointing and lacking," he concluded.

RIANI SANUSI PUTRI

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