"I call on district heads and mayors to be serious in maintaining food security because Lampung has no problem regarding people's food and consumption that need to be fulfilled," he remarked here on Tuesday.
According to Djunaidi, the synergy of regional governments in maintaining food production is one of the essential measures to maintain economic growth in regions.
"All parties must be serious about maintaining food security, as we know that even though economic growth is improving, we must be vigilant because the global economy is still threatened by risks of uncertainty and recession," he noted.
He affirmed that despite challenges in the economic sector, the government is optimistic that 2023 would become a turning point for Lampung in bolstering the regional economy through the strengthening of the agricultural and food sectors.
"The economic condition is still threatened by the situation of increasing prices of staple goods. We are demanded to maintain inflation to remain under control, so that the economy can grow positively," he stated.
He pointed out that one of the efforts to maintain food security and the economy is ensuring ’ availability, affordability, and distribution of staple goods.
"It is hoped that central and regional governments' programs, one of which is regarding maintaining food (security), become support for economic growth," he remarked.
Lampung Province is one of the producing regions for agricultural commodities, one of which is rice, which in 2021 had reached 3.3 million tons. In 2022, the province is targeting to increase the cropping index to 400.
In 2019, Lampung recorded to have 361,699 hectares of rice fields, out of which 86 thousand hectares are swampland that could be used for agricultural land.
Related news: Sorghum genome editing can help bolster national food security: BRIN
Related news: Increasing swampland use paramount to achieving food security
Translator: Ruth Intan, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
