While the FAO issues a warning of potential food scarcity worldwide in future as an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government is rushing in its preparations to ensure sustainable national food production
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Ma'ruf Amin cabinet's annual report data, quoted, Tuesday, showed that the government, under Jokowi's administration, had expedited sustainable food production to counter the Food and Agriculture Agency's (FAO's) warning of likely food shortages.

"While the FAO issues a warning of potential food scarcity worldwide in future as an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government is rushing in its preparations to ensure sustainable national food production," the annual report quoted here on Wednesday.

With focus on sustainable food production, the government has striven to improve the food statistics by using a Sample Area Framework, expanding new planting areas, and conducting food estate development.

The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), concurred on complete uniformity of rice field area data, particularly for rice plants within 100 days after planting, in accordance with the target set by Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

According to the satellite imagery data, the area of rice fields in Indonesia has decreased to 7.1 million hectares, from 7.75 million hectares in 2013.

However, based on data verified by the Ministry of Agrarian and Spatial Planning Affairs, the latest rice field areas in the country span 7,463,948 hectares.

The agriculture ministry made another endeavor to boost national food reserves this year by expanding some new planting areas encompassing an area of 250 thousand hectares spread across several regions, such as North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Jambi, and Bengkulu.

Moreover, in responding to FAO's warning on potential future food shortages, President Jokowi had initiated an integrated agricultural system and food storage program, called Food Estate, in Central Kalimantan.

Of the total area of 165 thousand hectares of swamp land designated for food estate development in Central Kalimantan, the government accorded top priority for the cultivation of 30 thousand hectares of land spread across the sub-districts of Kapuas and Pulang Pisau.

EDITED BY INE

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Translator: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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