Minister Of VAT: Food Swasembada Program To Reduce Imports

Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (PPN/Bappenas) Rachmat Pambudy. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (PPN/Bappenas) Rachmat Pambudy said that his party together with PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BRI strengthened collaboration to support the food self-sufficiency agenda 2025-2029.

Food self-sufficiency is a leading program directed to meet food needs from domestic production and reduce imports. Financial sector support, including BRI, is very crucial in encouraging productivity and efficiency in the agricultural and food sectors," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, February 9.

According to him, BRI has a strategic role in providing access to capital for farmers, fishermen, and agricultural business actors.

With this support, he continued, Indonesia can increase production, strengthen distribution chains, and encourage downstream food products.

The government is said to have set several priority steps to achieve food self-sufficiency. One of them is strengthening production centers and food barns to ensure the availability of sufficient and stable foodstuffs.

The rice production target in 2024 is set at 70 million tons of Dried Giling Grain (GKG) with an additional 20 million tons of GKG production until 2029.

Research and innovation in plant breeding are always strengthened in order to improve the quality and productivity of agricultural products.

On the infrastructure and technology side, continued the Minister of VAT, the government continues to encourage the use of modern agricultural tools and technology to increase efficiency.

Currently, only 46.84 percent of farmers use technology in the cultivation process. In addition, the construction and utilization of 65 dams that have been completed will be optimized to ensure water availability for agricultural land," said Rachmat.

Efficiency in food management is also a major concern, including in the distribution of fertilizer subsidies to make them more targeted and have a direct impact on increasing productivity.

The government is also targeting to reduce aftershocks and food remaining 3-5 percent per year in order to increase the efficiency of supply chains and reduce losses that occur in food distribution.

According to the Head of Bappenas, BRI's role is important in expanding access to financing for farmers and food business actors.

With BRI's extensive network to remote areas of the country, it is hoped that more farmers will get financial support to increase their production capacity.

Synergy between stakeholders, the government is optimistic that food self-sufficiency targets can be achieved, as well as creating a more resilient, efficient, and highly competitive agricultural sector.

With the spirit of innovation and collaboration, Indonesia leads to stronger food security. Collaboration with BRI is important to create a strong expansion ecosystem, from upstream to downstream. With this collaboration, we can improve the welfare of farmers and ensure sustainable national food security," said the Head of Bappenas.