"The urgency of developing a food estate is the dynamics of the strategic environment for food security related to population, climate change, social, economic, and political situations in the world. Furthermore, we still import several food commodities. It is very important to maximize domestic production as an effort to realizing sustainable food self-sufficiency," Acting Deputy for Food Insecurity and Nutrition, Andriko Noto Susanto, noted in a written statement received here, Friday.
Susanto also deemed it important to maintain the stabilization of food supply and prices, as some regions were unable to produce their own food and were left with no choice but to import food at marked-up price from other regions.
To this end, Susanto accentuated the importance of equitable food distribution availability in all regions and also the alleviation of areas with food insecurity, disaster-affected areas, and outermost, remote, and underdeveloped area (3T).
"Food estate can play a role in the administration of government food reserves, where NFA plays a role in synergizing the result absorption by state-owned logistics firm Bulog for government food reserves and absorption by food SOEs for commercial schemes," he stated.
In addition, Susanto highlighted the importance of cooperating with farmers as an effort to develop business models through farmer consolidation and farming businesses to provide added value, strengthen farmer institutions, increase farmers' bargaining position, and boost farmers' income and welfare.
“The farmer corporation model needs to consider existing conditions to make it more sustainable. The government provides capacity strengthening for existing farmers and other forms of support, such as irrigation, seeds, insurance, and regulations as well as counseling and research and development,” he remarked.
Earlier, the Agriculture Ministry had continued to increase the agricultural extension workers' capacity in the food estate area to improve the farmers' welfare.
Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo remarked that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) lauded development in the Belu District food barn area. To follow up on Jokowi's orders, expansion of the area must continue to be pursued this year.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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