West Java is one of the important food barns for Indonesia
Bandung, West Java (ANTARA) - The National Food Agency (NFA) is ready to extend support to improve West Java's food sector potential by allocating food logistics facilities and infrastructure that will be useful in extending the shelf life of products.

"Facilities and infrastructure, such as refrigerators, freezers, storage machines, and drying machines at food production centres, generally aim to ensure the food cold chain, so that stocks are maintained," NFA Head Arief Prasetyo Adi stated during the Cheap Food Festival and the 2022 World Food Day in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday.

The NFA had allocated six facilities for the districts of Cianjur, Bandung, and Ciamis, he remarked.

"One of them we hand over symbolically on the momentum of the commemoration of World Food Day in West Java," he stated.

The agency distributed two refrigerators and two freezers, one unit each for Ciamis and Cianjur.

Moreover, they gave a storage machine and a drying machine for Bandung District.

These facilities will be managed by cooperatives, state-owned enterprises, region-owned enterprises, or farmer groups, so that their utilization and maintenance can be guaranteed.

The allocations were part of NFA's strategy to manage stocks and conduct strategic food price stabilization, he stated. The measure was also part of the additional efforts to control food inflation.

Adi also commended the West Java Government for being able to maintain the stability of food stocks and prices in its region, thereby contributing to a reduction in the national food inflation.

"One of the (real measures) that have been taken is the collaboration of the West Java Provincial Government with NFA, the Transportation Ministry, and the Trade Ministry to send 200 tons of rice from West Java to Aceh via the sea highway from Patimban Port. Today, we will also send rice from West Java to Sumatra," he noted.

This collaboration by the West Java Provincial Government and the stakeholders to source foods to other places that lack them aligned with President Joko Widodo's directives.

According to the presidential directives, all food stakeholders collaborate to build connectivity to transfer food from surplus to deficit areas in order to maintain national food availability and stability.

West Java Province has large and diverse food potential, so it becomes a national rice barn.

West Java's total rice production in 2021 reached around 5.2 million tons, thereby making it one of the largest rice center provinces.

Apart from rice, West Java is also a producer of shallots, large chilies, palawija, and various fruits.

This high food potential should be supported by food logistics facilities with good technology in order to have a significant impact on food security and community nutrition, as well as improve the welfare of local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen.

He said that for it to have profound impact, particularly in improving nutrition and economic growth, the support of food facilities and infrastructure with good technology was vital in food production centres in West Java.

"West Java is one of the important food barns for Indonesia. This potential needs to be backed up by infrastructure with adequate technology, so that the commodities produced can give added value for economic growth and people's nutrition as well as for food stability and security," Adi concluded.

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Translator: Ajat Sudrajat, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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