The condition has allowed Indonesia to recover faster than other countries facing food issuesJakarta (ANTARA) - As Indonesia is a major rice-producing country, it has recovered quickly from the food crisis compared to other countries, according to the Vice President's special staff assistant, Guntur Subagja Mahardika.
"The condition has allowed Indonesia to recover faster than other countries facing food issues," Mahardika said at the “International Conference on Indonesia and Global Affairs RPI - 1st Session,” on Thursday.
Though China, Australia, and the United States are three countries with the largest area under agricultural cultivation, Indonesia is the third largest rice producer after China, he pointed out.
Indonesia is also the main producer of palm, followed by Malaysia and Thailand, he added.
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"We must be proud of our success in achieving food self-sufficiency, which is amazing considering our lack in the food sector for years," Mahardika said.
Countries with formidable agriculture systems, such as Finland, Ireland, Norway, France, and the Netherlands have shown a better level of resilience, he said, adding that Indonesia placed 63rd in the Global Food Security Index in 2022, an improvement from its earlier ranking of 69th last year.
"This indeed gives us new hope, as our ranking has surpassed India’s, despite its status as a major food producer, and also is one of the major consumers," the special staff assistant said.
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President Joko Widodo has said that the food crisis is one of the four major crises that the world is facing right now, with at least 107 countries affected by it, and 533 million people threatened by extreme hunger, he highlighted.
Moreover, the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO's) 2022 Global Report on Food Crises also highlighted that more than 200 million people are facing a major food crisis in several countries, such as Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, he noted.
"This will remain our challenge, which we must anticipate," Mahardika remarked.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira R, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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