NAVIGATING THE FOOD CRISIS, WAR by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 27/6/2022 (ANTARA) - Even as the world is trying to recover from the economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, a war has broken out in Ukraine and worsened the economic situation and food supply chain disruption in several parts of the globe.

Food security is on the agenda of the G7 Summit for Partner Countries at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, which President Joko Widodo attended on June 2627, 2022.

Germany has invited Indonesia, Argentina, India, Senegal, and South Africa to the summit as partner countries.

The G7 is an informal forum of leading industrialized nations, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The grouping was previously called G8 after Russia was accepted as its member in 1998, but it was kicked out in 2014 following a conflict with Ukraine.

Having taken over the G7 presidency from the UK in January 2022, Germany has set progress towards an equitable world as its goal and is focusing discussions on a sustainable planet, economic stability and transformation, healthy lives, and sustainable investments.

Germany wants to use its presidency to foster a sustainable planet, healthy living, investment in a better future, and building a world that is stronger together.

However, Europe is currently witnessing a war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, and has been affected by the impacts of the war, which have included food chain disruption.

The sanctions imposed by the West on Russia have also triggered an energy crisis, with oil and gas supply dwindling in several European countries.

 

Government links food security to national defense by Fardah

Jakarta, July 16, 2020 (ANTARA) - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has cautioned that the COVID-19 pandemic is posing a serious threat to food security and nutrition, and has urged governments and other stakeholders to build more resilient food systems.

As a precautionary measure, the Indonesian Government is developing a food estate project in Kapuas district and Belanti Siam village in Pulang Pisau district, Central Kalimantan province, under the National Strategic Program (PSN), which is to be implemented within the next three years.
 

In 2020, at least 30 thousand hectares of land will be made available for the project, and the land size will be expanded over the next two years.

The President has assigned three ministers — Defense Minister Prabowo Susanto, Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, and State Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir — to implement the program, with the support of other ministers.

The Ministry of Defense is leading the program to build food reserves and will be responsible for boosting resilience for food security.

"Yesterday, I told you that the food estate development is being conducted in response to an FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) warning of a global food crisis. Hence, we need to take precautionary measures quickly by preparing strategic food reserves," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) told the press on July 13, 2020.

Jokowi has justified his decision to task the Defense Minister with leading the implementation of the national food estate program.

"Defense does not only concern 'alutsista' (primary weaponry defense system), but also boosting resilience in the food sector, which is part of it (national security). The Defense Minister has already submitted the cost calculations and the amount of budget required to develop a food estate in Kapuas and Pulang Pisau," Jokowi said. 

"The Minister of Agriculture will back it (the project). Other agricultural and food related matters still come under the authority of the Agriculture Minister," Jokowi noted.

The food estate is not meant as a rice field opening program, but refers to the development of a food center, explained Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, spokesperson for the Defense Minister. 

The food estate will serve as a center for agricultural and strategic logistical reserves, which are crucial for supporting national defense. 

Besides rice, centers of other crops, such as cassava and corn, will also be developed, depending on land conditions, the Defense Minister’s spokesperson said.

Indonesia braces for extreme dry season amid COVID-19 by Fardah

Jakarta , May 25, 2020 (ANTARA) -

As it battles the coronavirus pandemic, Indonesia, which is currently entering the dry season, is bracing for a possible prolonged drought.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast that 30 percent of the country’s regions entering the dry season in the next three months will experience drier-than-usual weather conditions.

This year, the dry season started in April, and is forecast to be dominant in May, June, and July, and peak during the period from August to September.
The hydrological drought is forecast to chiefly impact 10 provinces -- West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, South Sulawesi, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Maluku, and Papua -- with affected areas spread across 90 districts and cities.
Agricultural land forecast to be affected by drought in the 10 provinces cover 1.14 million hectares of irrigation areas.
"Hence, steps to mitigate the impact must be thoroughly prepared, so that the stability of food prices is not affected," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on May 5, 2020, while chairing a virtual limited meeting on "Anticipating the Impact of Drought on the Availability of Staple Food". The meeting was attended byVice President Ma'ruf Amin and ministers.

The impact of COVID-19 and a prolonged drought could deal a double blow to the country by prompting a food crisis, if the problems are not anticipated and managed properly.

To prevent a food shortage, the government has outlined two strategies: encouraging planting of crops earlier, before the 2020 dry season sets in; and, delivering the necessary infrastructure and facilities promptly to support the planting process.

"The planting season should be accelerated. We must capitalize on the rainfall that still exists today. We must ensure that farmers continue to produce and plant by applying health protocols," Jokowi remarked.
The Agriculture Ministry is implementing the Paddy Planting Acceleration Movement in several regions to encourage early planting.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto had earlier announced that the government will offer incentives worth Rp600 thousand to 2.44 million farmers to facilitate planting in the next period.
Furthermore, the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has readied several dams, reservoirs, water retention basins, bore wells, and other facilities to store water, particularly for irrigation purposes.

TECHNOLOGY PLAYS CRUCIAL ROLE IN ATTAINING FOOD SUSTAINABILITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 2, 2017 (Antara) - The world faces a fundamental challenge to sustainably provide a healthy diet to a population of over nine billion by 2050.

          As the most populous region in the world, Asia and the Pacific plays a decisive role in combating several interlinked issues at hand, such as malnutrition, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

          Long-term discussions, however, are needed to tackle the issue of feeding a population of some four billion in the Asian and Pacific region, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla stated while opening the First EAT Asia-Pacific Food Forum organized jointly by the EAT Foundation and the Indonesian Ministry of Health on Oct 30-31.

          "When we speak at the Asia-Pacific forum, it means we highlight the interests of four billion people. If everyone eats thrice a day, then we are speaking about 12 billion plates a day," the vice president remarked.

          Several challenges lie in the path towards boosting food productivity, including those related to land and the huge population that has put pressure on the agriculture sector.

          However, all these challenges can be addressed by using technology that enables the nation to cater to the food demand, although it is not perfect, according to Kalla.

          The government is finding a way to improve the food quality and productivity by utilizing technology in Indonesia, Kalla remarked.

         Technology could help increase food production. For Indonesia, the increase in food production should be above 3 percent to achieve food security and self-sufficiency.

AGRIBUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY CRUCIAL TO IMPROVE FARMERS' WELFARE by Fardah

   Jakarta, Sept 14, 2017 (Antara) - In farming, availability of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides are basic needs, but it takes more than those to improve the welfare of farmers.

         For efficiency and profit making, farmers need to be supported by appropriate agricultural technology and agribusiness.

         Therefore, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called for a paradigm change in the national agriculture policy to increase farmers' profit margins through agribusiness process.    
     Out of his concern for farmers' welfare and food resilience, the Head of State chaired a limited cabinet meeting to discuss the agricultural sector at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Sept 12, 2017.

        Among those present at the meeting were Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Layout/Chief of the National Land Agency Sofyan Djalil, Minister of National Development Planning/Chief of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro, East Java Governor Sukarwo, and Central Java Governor Gandjar Pranowo.     
   The meeting also outlined a number of steps to improve farmers' welfare.

         "We forget the fact that farmers can obtain large profit actually from agribusiness process rather than from the farming sector. Once again, the high value added rests with the agribusiness process," he stated.

           According to the president, Indonesia must change the paradigm if it wants to increase profit  of farmers. They must enter the business sector, the agribusiness sector in particular.

MILITARY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN FOOD SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM by Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 19, 2017 (Antara) - The Joko Widodo administration is committed to achieving food sufficiency, as the government aspires to transform the country into a global rice barn.

        "As an agrarian country, Indonesia is eyeing to become a global food barn by 2045. To this end, Indonesia must first achieve food sufficiency for building national food resilience," Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces General Gatot Nurmantyo stated while addressing some 1,800 participants of a national working congress on agricultural development in 2017, held in Jakarta on Jan 6, as reported by pokotanews.com.

        The government is targeting to become self-sufficient in rice production in 2017 and in corn and soybean supply in 2018.    
   Since the last several years, the government has made significant headway in boosting food production to realize food security.

        The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded that the production of dry unhulled rice in 2016 was estimated to reach 79.17 million tons, or up 4.96 percent, as compared to 2015, following an increase of 6.43 percent from 2014.

        Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman confirmed in December 2016 that Indonesia's food security had risen steadily in the last two years, with declining imports, while the government had stopped importing some commodities.

INDONESIA STRIVES FOR FOOD SUFFICIENCY BY 2018 by Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 17, 2016  (Antara) - Food security and resilience have been an ongoing issue for Indonesia, which was once a major rice exporter in Asia, but now relies heavily on rice imports to meet the public's staple food requirements.

         Food security has been given serious attention because it is also an important social objective. Relying on food markets outside the country to meet the needs of Indonesia's growing population is recognized as not healthy.

          The Indonesian government, therefore, is striving for food self-sufficiency, which is expected to be realized in 2018.

         Thousands of military personnel have been deployed to help farmers in various regions plant rice and other crops. 
   "Food-sufficiency is expected to be realized within three years, for which the efforts started a year ago," Vice President M Jusuf Kalla asserted recently. 
    In order to reach the target, several steps have been implemented, including improvements in irrigation methods, along with seedling and fertilizer preparations.

         Some results are expected to be seen as of this year, as Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the country is expecting to have a surplus of 400,000 tons of rice this year.

        "There would be a surplus of 400,000 tons and, God willing, there would be no more scarcity in supply of this staple food product," Amran said on the sidelines of a food exhibition in early October.

         The minister said, based on a survey by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the country's rice production rose significantly this year.

INDONESIA CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO FIGHT HUNGER by Fardah

     Jakarta, Oct 31, 2013 (Antara) - One out of ten people throughout the world do not sleep soundly because their stomachs are empty, and to help end that hunger the world must work together, Indonesia's president said.

         "Every nation in the world must work together to secure the availability of food throughout the world, so there will be no more sleepless night because of hunger," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Padang, West Sumatra, during the 33rd World Food Day commemoration held throughout Indonesia on October 31, 2013.    

INDONESIA STRIVES FOR FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY by Fardah

    Jakarta, Oct 30, 2013 (Antara) -  As the commemoration of World Food Day 2013 is approaching, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has announced his determination to secure Indonesia's food supply by boosting domestic food production.   
    The nation's food supply has been adequate, but a plan of action to increase the nation's food production is needed to anticipate an increase in population, which currently stands at some 250 million people, he said.        

ASEAN PLUS THREE TO INTENSIFY FOOD SECURITY COOPERATION by Fardah

       Jakarta, Oct 7, 2011 (ANTARA) - Rice is an important factor in achieving food security in the Southeast Asian region as around two-thirds of world rice production originate in ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and South Korea) and more than half of the world`s rice exports comes from this region.
          To guarantee long-term food security, the 10-member ASEAN and its three partner countries signed the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Agreement on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Plus Three Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF Plus Three) in Jakarta on Friday (Oct. 7, 2011).

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OFFERS SOLUTION TO FOOD SECURITY, MALNUTRITION by Fardah

       Jakarta, June 13, 2011 (ANTARA) - At least two projects involving the public-private sector partnership have been highlighted at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia taking place in Jakarta, June 12-13, 2011.
       The projects are WEF Partnership on Indonesian Sustainable Agriculture (WEFPISA) aimed at promoting food security and economic growth through sustainable agriculture; and Project Laser Beam (PLB), a US$50-million project to eradicate child malnutrition, with an initial focus on Indonesia and Bangladesh.