Coordinating Minister Zulhas: As Long As You Are Serious, The Food Swarembda Only Takes 5 Years At The Earliest
JAKARTA - Food self-sufficiency is a priority program for the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government. The government has also begun to aggressively realize the target of food self-sufficiency.
Then, can one of Prabowo Subianto's campaign promises be achieved?
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan said Indonesia could achieve food self-sufficiency within a maximum period of five years. However, with a note, it is done seriously.
Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, said that to achieve this target, the government also focused on the rice field printing program. Through this program, he continued, Indonesia can achieve this target.
Regarding the printing of rice fields, Zulhas said, one of the things being developed was in the Merauke area. The amount of land prepared by the government reaches 1 million hectares (ha).
"That's if we are serious. If we go back and forth, no, more. So if we are serious, 5 to 7 years," he said in a virtual discussion in Jakarta, written Thursday, January 16.
Zulhas also believes that this year's rice production is sufficient to meet domestic needs. In fact, this year Indonesia can be free from rice imports.
"But we just eat, we don't have to import anymore, this year I think we can. This year we can. Long self-sufficiency, strong ones haven't (can this year). But we haven't imported some of the products, including corn," he said.
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Zulhas said achieving food self-sufficiency is not easy. This is because many parties are involved in managing the food sector. For example, irrigation is the domain of the Ministry of Public Works (PU).
Then, he continued, agricultural land is under the authority of the local government. Pupuk is under the command of the Ministry of SOEs. Likewise with the absorption of harvests carried out by Perum Bulog under the Ministry of SOEs.
In fact, he said, research development to obtain superior plant seeds is also under the authority of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Therefore, he said cooperation is needed so that the food self-sufficiency target can be achieved.
"About this food, everyone is involved. The Minister of Agriculture can't do anything if it doesn't work together," he said.