Badanas Calls Food Security The Key To Realizing Indonesia Gold 2045

Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said food security is one of the important and strategic sectors in an effort to realize Indonesia Gold 2045.

Arief said food is the basic component for realizing quality human resources and the main pillars of national development that play a role in maintaining economic, social and political stability.

"Therefore, building a national food ecosystem is important, which includes three aspects of food security ranging from availability, affordability, to utilization," he said in an official statement, Friday, April 26.

From the aspect of food availability, Arief revealed that food stocks, especially strategic staple foods, are currently in a safe and sufficient condition.

Even so, Arief said that he still had to continue to monitor the uncertainty of the global situation, geopolitical, climate change, and disruption of food supply between countries.

"Because this will affect global food prices that can have an impact on domestic food price fluctuations. Therefore, it is important to build a strong national food ecosystem," he said.

On the other hand, Arief said, with regulatory support, namely Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 125 of 2022 concerning the Implementation of Government Food Reserves (CPP), his party is currently strengthening CPP by optimizing the role and function of Perum Bulog and BUMN food as offtakers for farmers or breeders.

He said this was also in line with President Joko Widodo's directives asking CPP to become an instrument for the stability of food supply and prices, food assistance, and an emergency.

"For rice we disburse more than 1 million tons and currently in the midst of the main harvest conditions we continue to encourage Bulog to absorb the grain/rice of domestic farmers to fill the government's rice reserves," he explained.

Arief said increasing domestic food production will certainly have a positive impact on further efforts in the aspect of maintaining food affordability. Such as ensuring that the food is evenly distributed and accessible both physically and economically.

"This is also closely related to efforts to reduce areas prone to food, reduce malnutrition, and eradicate stunting," he said.