Speech at the MPR Annual Meeting, Prabowo Claims Self-sufficiency of 8 Food Commodities Achieved in One Year

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto claims that Indonesia has achieved self-sufficiency in eight food commodities in just one year. The target was previously designed to be achieved in four years.

Prabowo conveyed this achievement in a speech at the Annual MPR Session and Joint Session of the DPR and DPD at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Friday, August 14.

The eight commodities that have been said to have reached self-sufficiency are rice, corn, consumer sugar, chicken meat, chicken eggs, red onions, large chilies, and sweet peas.

"The target of food self-sufficiency, which was originally planned for four years, we managed to achieve in one year," said Prabowo.

According to Prabowo, this achievement makes Indonesia's food situation safer amid the world's concerns about the threat of famine.

However, self-sufficiency does not cover all food commodities. For beef, Prabowo estimates that Indonesia can only achieve self-sufficiency in the next five to six years.

Prabowo said that achievements in the food sector were also supported by changes in fertilizer management. The government, he said, removed 145 fertilizer distribution rules that were considered to hinder distribution.

He claimed that this step made fertilizer prices drop by 20 percent, while the volume of availability increased.

On the other hand, Prabowo said PT Pupuk Indonesia's profits actually increased by 252.8 percent after the change.

Food self-sufficiency is one of the achievements highlighted by Prabowo after 21 months leading the government. In 663 days, he said the government had carried out 121 transformative policies.

"We are starting to solve problems that have been considered complicated for decades," he said.