Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia underlined its commitment to synergize and cooperate with ASEAN member countries to develop food security together to handle the threat of a global food crisis.

Everyone should take actions to respond to the global food crisis, including risks and disruptions that have never occurred to the food system before, National Food Agency (Bapanas) Head Arief Prasetyo Adi said in a statement, Wednesday.

This is because this step is important to ensure the stability of the availability of food, accessibility and food utilization in regions, he added, while opening the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB) meeting.

Indonesia holds the ASEAN chairmanship in 2023, with the theme of “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” he noted.

Indonesia's position is important in directing ASEAN to play an active role in creating and maintaining peace and prosperity in the region and the world, while also maintaining ASEAN as the center of economic growth.

Adi believes that one of the ways ASEAN can respond to the dynamic of food and nutrition security is by strengthening the commitment of ASEAN member countries through the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on Food Security.

This declaration is an effort to develop mechanisms and unite the role of all related sectoral agencies in ASEAN, which comprise agriculture, trade, finance and transportation sectors, to strengthen food and nutrition security.

The ASEAN Leaders' Declaration is being discussed within the AFSRB meeting and will be agreed upon by ASEAN Leaders during the ASEAN Summit in September.

Moreover, Adi said that Bapanas, as the government institution responsible in the field of food, plays an important role in ensuring food and nutrition security.

In this matter, Bapanas develops food reserves and distribution systems, stabilizes food supplies and prices, eradicates food insecure areas, diversifies food consumption, and formulates and controls food safety standards.

Bapanas does not work alone, but synergizes and cooperates with related institutions, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), private sector, universities, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as well as food and farmer associations.

The agency also develops synergy with stakeholders from the international world.

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