"We must be grateful, thank God, amid the continuous world crises, the economic uncertainty that is difficult to calculate, our economy is quite strong, and among the G20, in the top three economies with good economic growth conditions," the president remarked at the Military-Police Leaders Meeting.
Jokowi noted that Indonesia's economy in 2023 had grown by 5.05 percent, with inflation remaining under control at 2.57 percent.
Furthermore, Indonesia's poverty rate declined to 9.36 percent, the unemployment rate fell to 5.32 percent, and the Gini ratio also declined to be at 0.388 percent.
"Even though we see good numbers, I continue to remind that we must be careful, we must stay vigilant, because, going forward, global competition will become more complex. The direction will become more unclear,” he remarked.
He further stated that the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Yemen also contribute to the increase in food inflation.
Those conditions have caused several countries to apply protectionism policies for their food commodities.
The president stated that there are around 1,348 food-related protectionism policies applied by countries in the world. The figure showed a threefold increase as compared to 2014 and is projected to continue to rise.
“We know that back then there were many that offered us, for instance, rice. Now, we are looking for rice in producer countries. It is not easy,” he remarked.
He pointed out that countries had halted the exports of food items, both wheat and rice, due to climate change and disruptions in supply chains.
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Translator: Yashinta Difa, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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