Currently, the amount of food reserves has reached 20 thousand tons, almost twice as much as last year's 12 thousand tons.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta provincial government has increased its food reserves to nearly twice as much as last year's to anticipate the potential impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon.

"Currently, the amount of food reserves has reached 20 thousand tons, almost twice as much as last year's 12 thousand tons," President Director of Jakarta-owned enterprise PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya Pamrihadi Wiraryo said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He informed that his enterprise is aiming to increase food stocks to 25 thousand tons as an anticipatory measure against El Nino, though the phenomenon will not significantly affect food availability in the capital city.

Nevertheless, he affirmed that his company has prepared three types of strategies for tackling the likely detrimental effects of El Nino.

The target of securing 25 thousand tons of food reserves is a preventive strategy. To achieve the target, Food Station is partnering with rice barns in other regions, namely Subang, Indramayu, Ngawi, Lampung, Garut, and Kulon Progo.

In the event of Jakarta being affected by El Nino, the company will resort to a curative strategy by ordering food shipments from partner regions to Cipinang Central Rice Market with the objective of storing as much food as possible.

Wiraryo said that Jakarta has been implementing a promotive strategy since three to four years prior to the El Nino warning by striving to create and expand its own agricultural land.

In this context, Food Station has managed to secure a total of 770 hectares of land for cultivation purposes, he informed adding that it is aiming to expand this land area to 1 thousand hectares.

He also appealed to the public to refrain from panicking and shopping excessively in view of the drought potential.

"The inflation will be well-controlled as long as we can encourage communities to shop wisely," he said.

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Translator: Siti N, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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