"This step is important to strengthen the nation’s independence and implement President Prabowo Subianto's vision as stated in the Asta Cita," Adi noted in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
The agency head expressed optimism that by 2025, Indonesia would be able to meet its domestic food needs without relying on import policies.
"Certainly, our spirit is self-sufficiency. Hence, the president has directed that domestic production be as much as possible. Therefore, by 2025, we are optimistic that there will be no import. There will be no rice imports, except for special types (such as basmati rice). No imports of consumption sugar, and we will also no longer import salt," he stated.
According to Adi, currently, several commodities, including chicken meat, shallots, eggs, and chilli, are sufficient to fulfill the domestic food supply.
"These are all sufficient, meaning we do not need to import. Not all strategic food commodities require imports," he stated.
Bapanas has also tasked the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) with absorbing domestic production in line with President Prabowo's directive to ensure all farmers' harvest is properly absorbed.
The Government Rice Reserve (CBP) is also in a relatively safe condition, at 1.7 million tons. With this stock, the public need not harbor concerns about the national rice supply.
"The president has stated that our stock this year is the best compared to previous years. Therefore, by 2025, we will stop importing rice. This is the president's order, with the spirit of self-sufficiency. We really have to be able to be food independent," he affirmed.
Bapanas is also continuing efforts to maintain price stability at the consumer and producer levels. This balance is necessary to boost public purchasing power so that inflation can be controlled.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira Riswan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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