Deputy director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Eko Listiyanto, made the statement here on Friday.
"I think SOEs, especially in this G20, have a role in supporting and voicing the welfare of farmers. In the end, when talking about food security, farmers are the ones who play a role in executing it," Listiyanto told ANTARA.
Thus, the welfare of farmers is the main strategy for supporting food resilience through programs initiated by SOEs such as the Prosperity or Makmur Program, he said.
Listiyanto said he viewed farmers' welfare as a national concern that is being raised at the global level. According to him, the topic is urgent because it will lead to discussions on food commodities and sustainable food security.
"If you want to realize sustainable food security, you must focus on the welfare of the actors first, which is farmers. SOEs play a very important role in supporting and voicing the improvement of farmers' welfare," he affirmed.
The food sector itself needs the support of young or millennial farmers, he said.
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"The millennial farmers must enter into the agricultural ecosystem, maybe not directly into the rice fields but can start by becoming a distributor, provider of agricultural logistics, innovator of agricultural technology, and so on. These are the things that are really needed," he pointed out.
In addition, he explained, SOEs also play an essential role in the food sector.
"The state has an instrument, which is the SOEs; so, when talking about the agricultural system and its relation to sustainable food, I think SOEs do have a huge role here," he remarked.
Meanwhile, the G20 Agriculture Working Group (AWG) will declare a commitment to address three priority issues of the global agricultural sector, including food security and digital agriculture.
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Translator: Aji C, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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