Food Security Index Targeted To Increase To 80.72 In 2029

Food (photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government is targeting an increase in the national food security index from 76.20 in 2024 to 80.72 in 2029 as part of efforts to strengthen food availability and access for the community.

"The government's main target is to increase the food security index from 76.20 in 2024 to 80.72 in 2029," said Deputy for Administration and Distribution of the Ministry of Food Coordinator Tatang Yuliono quoting Antara.

Tatang conveyed this when he was a speaker at an international seminar with the theme "Improving Indonesia-Korea Relations in Prabowo Administration from Food Sovereignty to Good Neighbor" held by the Indonesian Cyber Media Network (JMSI) at the Press Council Hall, Jakarta.

He said that the government is also committed to reducing the prevalence of inadequate food consumption from 7.21 percent in 2024 to 4.41 percent in 2029 to improve people's welfare and quality of life.

Another strategic step taken is to increase local food production and reduce dependence on imports for a number of major commodities, such as rice, corn, soybeans, and sugar.

The Indonesian government is currently trying to pursue food self-sufficiency. Even so, he mentioned that there are a number of challenges, including an increase in the population by 1.1 percent per year, land quality degradation and the age of aging farmers, of which 70 percent of farmers are over 43 years old.

He also mentioned that other challenges faced by Indonesia are food waste.

According to a report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) entitled Food Waste Index 2021, the total food waste in Indonesia reaches 20.93 million tons per year. This value occupies the fourth largest position after China, India, and Nigeria.

"President Prabowo Subianto is well aware of these various challenges and therefore in his inauguration speech emphasized that Indonesia must achieve self-sufficiency in energy and food within the next four years," said Lintang.

According to him, this is the basis for the formation of the Coordinating Ministry for Food, which oversees four ministries, namely the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and two agencies, namely the National Food Agency and the National Nutrition Agency.

Meanwhile, South Korean Deputy Ambassador Park Soo-Dook said his party was ready to develop cooperation in the agricultural sector to support Indonesia's food self-sufficiency targets.

The two countries, he said, have established so many collaborations in various fields, politics, economy, education, culture, and people to people contact since diplomatic relations began in the 1970s.

In the same place, Deputy for Maritime Affairs and Natural Resources of the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency (Kemenerian PPN/Bappenas) Vivi Yulawati, said that Indonesia also set a target in 2045 to have a competitive, innovative, and resilient agricultural sector.

"The agricultural sector at that time was also expected to support a dynamic agrifood systems that provide a healthy diet for everyone, and improve environmental sustainability," said Vivi.

To achieve this target, a strong food system and governance is needed at the regional and local levels, diversity in production and consumption, as well as food system logistics, healthy diets form a variety of foods, and a decentralized planning and decision-making process.

Vivi assessed that cooperation with South Korea would be able to encourage the various steps needed to achieve the food self-sufficiency target.