Zulhas at PAN National Congress: President's Order We Must Be Independent of Food and Energy

PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan/PHOTO: Nailin In Saroh-VOI

JAKARTA - PAN Chairman Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that President Prabowo Subianto ordered that the Indonesian people could be food-independent and energy-independent.

This was conveyed by Zulhas at the PAN National Congress held at the PAN DPP office, South Jakarta, Tuesday, March 31.

"Pak Prabowo's program is that we must be self-sufficient. We must be self-sufficient. Indonesia must be sovereign. People must laugh, because it's nice, right? So, as long as there is no import, so that we are lulled by the bobokan. We must be self-sufficient, self-sufficient food, self-sufficient energy. We must also be downstream," said Zulhas in his speech.

"And almost all of these programs were handed over to the Ministry of Cooperatives, which is also the General Chairman of the National Amanat Party," he added.

Zulhas revealed that the government has succeeded in self-sufficiency in rice by optimizing deregulation which has been entangled. Then, the government also sided with farmers by raising the price of grain to Rp. 6,500 from Rp. 4,500.

"Only two months ago, the price of grain was not below Rp. 6,500. All grain prices are above Rp. 6,500. Brothers, the intention of partisanship, political will, our sincerity is on the side of our farmers. Two, the third is the help of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala," he said.

Then the government will build ponds, increase catch fish, build a fishing village complete with ice factories and cold storage.

"There are workshops, so if fishermen get fish, the price is not suitable, they can be stored first, there is a cold storage, there is an ice factory. If this is completed, we will build this year, brothers and sisters, I will determine the reference price for the fish, Mr. Minister of Trade. Well, this is what the Minister of Trade arranges for all of us, this sequence is coincidentally PAN all of this is the National Mandate Party," he said.

Zulhas also said the president had approved the construction of ethanol and methanol plants. "Ethanol is for sugar cane, methanol is for cassava. I have asked for one methanol in Lampung, isn't it the king of cassava where we are in Lampung? Is there any in Palembang? Anyway, big cities," he said.

In addition, the government also de-listed palm oil. In fact, said Zulhas, Indonesia has stopped importing diesel.

"Brothers, later on, if we have a lot of sugar cane in Papua, sugar cane has been developed in Merauke, where the gentlemen are, yes, that's good, then we will make ethanol, ethanol is a mixture of fuel. The President's order, we must be independent of food and energy, including downstream processing," he concluded.