The food issue is very complex and (solving it) requires solutions and collaborations from various parties, not just the government.
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - First Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Pahala Mansury has said that the challenges to meeting the global food demand have become a strategic issue since the world's population has continued to grow.

Currently, Indonesia's population has reached 280 million and is expected to grow to 300 million by 2030, he noted at the opening of the “Global Future Fellows (GFF) Program: Food Security 2023” here on Monday.

Meanwhile, the global population is estimated to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, hence food producers must prepare to increase food production by 70 percent by 2050 to feed the entire human population, he added.

"Realizing food security is one of President Joko Widodo's priority programs and it is fully supported by SOEs (Ministry). The food issue is very complex and (solving it) requires solutions and collaborations from various parties, not just the government,” the deputy minister said.

Food security needs to be realized immediately in Indonesia because a number of commodities are still being imported in large quantities, he highlighted.

For instance, currently, Indonesia is still importing about 1.5 million cattle per year and 3.6 million tons of raw sugar for industrial needs annually, he pointed out.

Hence, Mansury stated that he supports the GFF Program 2023 as a collaboration platform between the public sector, SOEs, private sector, and communities for preparing strategies to expedite the realization of national food security.

He emphasized that cooperation among all parties is key to optimize food production, distribution, and accessibility in Indonesia.

Thus, the SOEs Ministry is striving to improve business models, encourage modernization and technology application, as well as develop a food ecosystem with the private sector to answer the challenges in the sector, he said.

Director for Public Policy at Pijar Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on addressing future challenges Cazadira F. Tamzil said that GFF 2023, which was initiated by the foundation, is being attended by 36 selected professionals from 21 regions of Indonesia.

The participants belong to a number of ministries/institutions, SOEs, private companies, agricultural start-ups, educational institutions, and other strategic institutions.

During GFF 2023, which is taking place from May 21 to 25, discussions and special classes on food security will be held by 15 experts from Indonesia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates in Yogyakarta.

"Amid the threats of climate change, geopolitical tensions, and lack of interest of youth in the agricultural sector, the GFF is providing an opportunity to encourage cross-sectoral and generational collaborative discussions and actions (on food security),” Tamzil added.

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Translator: Luqman Hakim, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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