Prabowo Pede Swasembada Food Can Be Achieved Before Four Years

The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto. (Mery Handayani / VOI)

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto is optimistic that the food self-sufficiency target can be achieved more quickly. Initially, food self-sufficiency was targeted to be achieved within four years of his government.

Die said, during the 2024 to 2029 government period, food self-sufficiency is targeted to be achieved in 2028.

"Our target is that we plan to self-sufficiency in food (achieved in) four years," Prabowo said at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Consolidation National Conference, at Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta, Thursday, January 16.

However, continued Prabowo, the government decided to accelerate this achievement. He said m food self-sufficiency could be achieved much faster than the initial target.

"It turns out that we will be surprised, long before four years we have been self-sufficient in food," he said.

For your information, self-sufficiency in food is a priority program for the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government. The government has also begun to aggressively realize the target of food self-sufficiency.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan said Indonesia could achieve food self-sufficiency within a maximum period of five years. However, with a note, it is done seriously.

Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, said that to achieve this target, the government also focused on the rice field printing program. Through this program, he continued, Indonesia can achieve this target.

Regarding the printing of rice fields, Zulhas said, one of the things being developed was in the Merauke area. The amount of land prepared by the government reaches 1 million hectares (ha).

"That's if we are serious. If we go back and forth, no, more. So if we are serious, 5 to 7 years," he said in a virtual discussion in Jakarta, written Thursday, January 16.

Zulhas also believes that this year's rice production is sufficient to meet domestic needs. In fact, this year Indonesia can be free from rice imports.

"But we just eat, we don't have to import anymore, this year I think we can. This year we can. Long self-sufficiency, strong ones haven't (can this year). But we haven't imported some of the products, including corn," he said.