The Issue Of Food Insecurity Is Getting Santer, Minister Of Finance ASEAN Is Ready To Provide Latest Support

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministers of Finance (Menkeu) and the Governor of the ASEAN Central Bank stated that they are ready to participate in solving the problem of food insecurity which is now continuing to strengthen towards the end of the year.

Head of the Regional and Bilateral Policy Center of the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) Yogi Rahmayanti said the commitment would be voiced at the second ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (AFMGM) meeting held in Jakarta this week.

"One of the priorities of this meeting on the financial line is support for the food security issue," he said during a press conference, Monday, August 21.

Yogi explained that the food security agenda was initiated by Indonesia as Chair of ASEAN 2023, which is also the second AFMGM meeting. Previously, AFMGM was only held once a year.

This food security issue is a serious problem. We know that the crisis in Ukraine affects all supply and global demand. Well, here we want ASEAN's economic politics to be able to anticipate things like that," he said.

Quoting data released by the Ministry of Finance, the 2023 State Budget allocated a food security budget of IDR 104.2 trillion. This amount increased in the 2024 State Budget Draft, which the government presented to the DPR, to IDR 108.8 trillion.

Most recently, the government will add food social assistance (bansos) which will begin to be distributed in October 2023. Meanwhile, food assistance in the form of additional rice will be distributed to 21.35 million beneficiary families (KPM) throughout Indonesia with the amount of funds disbursed reaching IDR 8 trillion.

"ASEAN's financial channel will provide support for the issue of food security," continued Yogi.