The Price Of Corn Is Getting Sweeter, Jokowi Asks Airlangga To Boost National Production

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Agriculture)

JAKARTA – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto emphasized that the government is currently trying to increase national corn production to meet domestic needs and international market share.

According to Airlangga, this step is intended to strengthen Indonesia's food security as well as to realize the ideals of sustainable self-sufficiency through the 2022-2024 Corn Roadmap.

"Through intensification in the form of increasing productivity and extensification in the form of expansion of new planting areas, the government hopes to increase production, both to meet domestic availability and meet demands from other countries," he said in a press statement released on Tuesday, August 2.

Airlangga explained that the upward trend in world corn prices was caused by several factors. First, some producing countries apply export restrictions to prioritize meeting their domestic needs.

Second, the impact of global geopolitical conditions due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has accelerated the price increase of various important commodities, including corn.

According to him, the price for the period of June 2022 reached 335.7 US dollars per tonne. Previously, the value of these foodstuffs had touched the highest level of 348.1 US dollars per tonne in April 2022.

"The trend of improving world corn prices in January-June 2022 with a growth of 21.5 percent year on year is an opportunity for Indonesia to export this commodity," he stressed.

Furthermore, Airlangga admitted that the national production increase program was a direct instruction from the Indonesian Head of State to be able to take advantage of the momentum.

"If you convert it, the price of corn is now equivalent to Rp. 5,000 per kilogram. The President gave directions to increase production, including extensification of the existing land," he said.

Meanwhile, the implementation of development in the field is focused on six locations, namely Papua, West Papua, NTT, Maluku, North Maluku, and North Kalimantan with a total area of 141,000 hectares.

"As expected, Mr. President, we are ready to expand new land to increase production so that it can meet national and foreign markets," Airlangga concluded.