At a meeting with Commission IV of the House of Representatives at the Senayan Parliament Building on Thursday, Limpo said that the government should pay greater attention to the issue by preparing social assistance for public and farmers to address this condition.
"The year 2023, of course, is at the peak of climate change, and many global economic turbulences must be anticipated. Hence, social assistance will certainly be something that must be paid attention to," he remarked.
In addition, aspirations of the agricultural sector must be addressed early on, as the domestic political situation changes when the 2024 general election draws near. He said that people would depend on the agricultural sector -- making it a proverbial cushion of the economy -- during global economic uncertainties, such as during the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I think the main backup in facing the turbulence of global and national conditions is agriculture. Food must be available, and of course, social assistance will be an important part," he affirmed.
During the meeting, Minister Limpo highlighted production targets for several main agricultural commodities for 2023. These include rice production of 54.5 million tons, corn of 23.05 million tons, soybeans of 590 thousand tons, chili of 2.93 million tons, onion of 1.71 million tons, sugarcane of 37.15 million tons, and beef of 465 thousand tons.
Limpo stated that the ministry had received an additional budget allocation of Rp1.7 trillion in 2023, so the total had reached Rp15.4 trillion.
Of the additional funding, Rp1.25 trillion would be utilized to handle outbreaks of foot and mouth disease among livestock and Rp450 billion for the development of national soybean production.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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