Here's Moeldoko's Reaction When Tasting Food Made From Sorghum

Presidential Chief of Staff Dr. Moeldoko tasting food made from sorghum created by students of SMK PGRI 2 Kudus, Central Java, Friday 12 August. (Randy Putra Nugraha - KSP)

JAKARTA - Presidential Chief of Staff Dr. Moeldoko could not hide his admiration when he saw the students of SMK PGRI 2 Kudus, Central Java, being creative in processing sorghum into various foods. When tasting the food creations that made him amazed.

Besides witnessing the creation process, Moeldoko also tasted various culinary variants that use sorghum as the basic ingredient. Starting from cakes with various variants, fried rice, marrow porridge, to other light snacks, such as fried bananas and bakwan.

“All of this food is made from sorghum. This proves that sorghum can be an alternative food other than rice, whether it is made of flour or something else. I've tasted it all. It tastes good and delicious. There is an interesting thing, for fried bananas, it turns out to be more crispy and savory,” said Moeldoko, according to a written statement received by VOI, after tasting a variety of processed foods from Sorghum created by students of SMP PGRI 2 Kudus, Friday 12 August.

“From now on move to Sorghum. Don't hesitate anymore. Sorghum is the answer for future food sources,” he said.

Moeldoko said the content of sorghum is healthier. Especially if consumed by people who are on a diet. Because, the content of carbohydrates, calories, and sugar in sorghum is quite low. “For ordinary flour or rice, the sugar content is twenty-two percent, sorghum is two percent. It is very healthy and suitable for dieting,” he explained.

Moeldoko encouraged the students to be creative in making dishes from sorghum. (Randi Putra Nugraga - KSP)

Moeldoko who is also the General Chair of HKTI emphasized that the Indonesian government is currently encouraging the use of sorghum as an alternative food and substitute for wheat. This effort is to meet domestic food. Moreover, the impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine made the price of wheat increase.

Moeldoko said that this year, the government through the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) will develop 15 thousand hectares of sorghum plants. And in 2023, the development of sorghum will continue to be expanded from 40 thousand hectares to 50 thousand hectares. "Currently we are preparing the ecosystem so that people are interested in planting sorghum," he explained.

For information, the presence of the Presidential Chief of Staff, Dr. Moeldoko at SMK PGRI 2 Kudus coincided with the sorghum festival held by the school. The sorghum festival is filled with competitions to cook a variety of foods with sorghum-based ingredients. On that occasion, Moeldoko was also asked to give an assessment of the participants' creations.