Coordinating Minister For Food Criticism BRIN: We Need Seeds, Researched Even Nasab

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan criticized the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). According to him, BRIN should have focused on developing research to get superior plant seeds.

Instead of conducting research to get superior seeds, he said, BRIN was actually busy taking care of research related to religious moderation.

"We need rice seeds, we need corn seeds, we need palm seeds, soybeans, and others. But BRIN researches religious moderation. It's difficult for us. It's difficult, right? What nasab researches. We need rice seeds," he said in a virtual discussion in Jakarta, Wednesday, January 15.

Zulhas, as he is familiarly called, said that research to get superior plant seeds in Indonesia was last carried out 15 years ago. Therefore, he said the agricultural sector in Indonesia was far behind Thailand, Vietnam, China.

'Bibits are superior, nothing new. Now the one who examined the seeds was 15 years ago, maybe it wasn't there anymore. So imagine how left behind,' he said.

Therefore, Zulhas admitted that he had proposed to President Prabowo Subianto that BRIN research plant seeds to get superior seeds. Moreover, Indonesia has a food self-sufficiency target.

"Because of agriculture, other institutions cannot research. Research is only available in BRIN," he said.

Regarding the proposal to President Prabowo, Zulhas admitted that he did not know BRIN's response. Even so, he said he could not remain silent waiting to get superior seeds.

"I don't know the response but I can't wait," he said.

Therefore, he said the government is also collaborating with universities in various regions for seed development. The funds, he said, came from CSR, a state-owned company.

"I cooperate with campus campuses that have agricultural majors to develop rice, corn and people's plantations. (The funds) are CSR from BUMN (companies) which are given to campus campuses for research on developing superior seeds, the seeds are divided," he said.