Members Of The House Of Representatives Appreciate The Government's Performance In The Food Sector, But Ask For Agricultural Budget To Be Improved

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Daniel Johan, expressed his appreciation and a number of notes on the performance of President Prabowo Subianto's administration which will be even one year on October 20, especially in the food and agricultural sectors.

According to Daniel, the first step of Prabowo's administration shows strengthening in the sector. However, improvements and increased budget support are needed so that food and agriculture programs run more optimally.

"Of course we appreciate the performance of the President for almost a year. It can be seen from achievements such as government rice reserves that reach even the highest target of all time, as well as agricultural programs that are the government's priority with a budget of more than IDR 40 trillion in 2026. This is a good first step, "said Daniel in Jakarta, Friday, October 17.

Nevertheless, Daniel assessed that the budget for the agricultural sector needs to be significantly improved. He said, ideally the agricultural budget allocation would reach 5 percent of the total APBN.

To accelerate progress, the special agricultural budget is at least 5 percent of the state budget. National food needs reach more than 280 million people who need food and drink every day, so they need a stable supply," he said.

"Imagine if our food sources are hampered, there will be major turmoil that will affect economic and political stability. Food is a weapon as well as a national defense stronghold," Daniel continued.

The DPR member in charge of food and agricultural affairs also highlighted the increase in the price of basic necessities, especially rice, although the production and food reserves data showed an increase.

This is a form of criticism and input to the government regarding the prices of basic necessities that are still rising. Rice is said to have increased production, the food reserves are the highest, but in fact rice prices continue to rise. There are things that need to be observed," he said.

Daniel assessed that an in-depth study is needed to determine the causes of the increase in rice prices which are not in line with the increase in supply.

"Our supply is high, the demand remains, but prices go up. Are there factors outside the supply and demand mechanisms that affect rice prices," he said.

He also asked the government to anticipate the potential increase in cooking oil prices, even though market operations have been carried out.

"It is necessary to anticipate that cooking oil is scarce and the price has soared as before because of a wrong policy. Market operations are a good step, but how long will we intervene in the market?", said Daniel.

According to him, the government also needs to find the root cause of the problem of rising food prices in the midst of low purchasing power of the people, including the result of layoffs (PHK) and limited employment opportunities.

"This is important to ensure that our food remains affordable by all people with good quality and quality," concluded Daniel.