National Police Chief Supports Corn Swasembada For National Food Security

JAKARTA - Efforts to realize corn self-sufficiency continue to be encouraged to strengthen national food security. One of the concrete steps in supporting this program is the cultivation of corn in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta, which was initiated by the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo last Saturday.

The activity is part of a national program targeting 1 million hectares of corn planting. This step aims to reduce dependence on imports and increase domestic production.

"Today we are together with the community and farmer groups in Bantul to carry out corn planting activities. This is part of the national program to achieve corn self-sufficiency," Listyo said as quoted by ANTARA.

The National Police Chief emphasized that collaboration between farmers, the government, and various stakeholders is very important so that this program can run successfully. He also appreciated the synergy that has been established in utilizing agricultural land in various areas of Yogyakarta to support national corn production.

"We hope that this hard work can provide optimal results. The government targets that by 2025, Indonesia will no longer import corn," he added.

In addition, he also highlighted the role of Village Guidance Officers (Babinsa) and Bhayangkara Community Security and Order Trustees (Bhabinkamtibmas) in supporting farmers. They play an important role in ensuring the distribution of yields runs smoothly, including in the absorption of corn products by Perum Bulog.

The National Police Chief also emphasized the need to increase corn drying facilities to ensure the quality of the harvest is maintained, so that farmers can sell their crops at a more competitive price.

"With this program, we hope that the welfare of farmers will increase and be able to encourage economic growth in rural areas," he said.

In addition to meeting food needs, this program is also expected to support the availability of animal feed at a more affordable price, so that it has a positive impact on the quality of livestock nutrition in Indonesia.

This Corn Planting and Agricultural Equipment and Machine Assistance (Alsintan) activity received a positive response from farmers and stakeholders in the regions. With the sustainability of this program, Indonesia is expected to achieve self-sufficiency in corn and reduce dependence on imports in the coming years.