LaNyalla Reminds Government To Anticipate Global Food Crisis

Chairman of the DPD RI, AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti (IST)

SURABAYA - Chairman of the DPD RI, AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti reminded the government to anticipate the threat of a food crisis. LaNyalla said, there are two possibilities because of the threat of a food crisis.

First, the impact of climate change or El Nino, which makes farmers likely to experience crop failure due to drought.

Second, of course, the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war, in which Russia on July 17 withdrew from an agreement allowing the delivery of commercial food and fertilizer commodities from Ukraine, through the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI).

Russia's move has the potential to shake world food prices. Therefore, he continued, anticipating the potential spike in domestic food prices, we must immediately carry out the impact of Russia's move.

"Not to mention we are faced with the threat of El Nino which is predicted to peak in August-September," said LaNyalla, Wednesday, July 26.

The senator from East Java believes that the government must have a clear attitude in order to anticipate the potential increase in domestic food prices. This is because 20 percent of the supply of wheat to Indonesia is from Ukraine. Likewise the supply of fertilizer production from Russia.

"The threat of world food availability cannot be considered easy, because food problems are fundamental and basic problems. Of course, the state must immediately prepare concrete steps," said LaNyalla.

This is exacerbated by Indonesia's large dependence on food imports. Of course, this makes it more vulnerable. In addition to wheat and soybeans, which are 100 percent and more than 90 percent still have to be imported, we also import six of the nine staples, namely rice, milk, onions, salt, meat, and sugar.

"The increase in food prices which creates food inflation pressures will immediately hit the welfare of the lower class, with more than half of household spending still dominated by spending on food. Of course this is the government's homework," added LaNyalla.