"The government should not simply feel secure because rice stocks are relatively strong," Indef economist M. Rizal Taufikurahman said on Monday.
He said authorities should safeguard food production, distribution and reserves to mitigate El Nino-related risks.
The government should identify drought-prone production areas, accelerate irrigation projects, expand pumping capacity, optimize reservoirs and adjust planting schedules, he said.
Strengthening agricultural production is essential to improving Indonesia's overall food security, he added.
Policy should rely on an integrated early warning system involving the meteorology agency, National Food Agency, Statistics Indonesia, Bulog and regional governments, rather than reacting after supplies tighten and prices rise.
Taufikurahman said food reserve management should also remain a priority to maintain adequate supplies.
He said minimum stock levels should be set for corn, sugar, soybeans, onions, eggs, chicken and beef, with clear regional distribution targets.
"Harvest procurement, warehouse and cold-storage capacity, and inter-regional distribution must be accelerated," he said.
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Imports should be used only as a targeted and temporary measure to avoid undermining domestic farm prices, he said.
"The key to food security is ensuring supplies remain available, affordable and reach deficit areas on time," Taufikurahman said.
National Food Agency Head and Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman previously said reserves of commodities other than rice remained adequate.
He said the government had strengthened strategic food stocks ahead of the dry season based on lessons from the 2023 El Nino.
"We prepared long before El Nino. Based on our 2023 experience, we managed to get through it," Amran said on Friday.
As of July 8, Bulog held 5.2 million metric tons of rice. Provincial reserves totaled 7,340 metric tons and district reserves 13,150 metric tons across 323 regions.
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The government also held 188,000 metric tons of feed corn, 1,100 kiloliters of cooking oil, about 2,790 metric tons of sugar and 38 metric tons of chicken meat, according to official data.
Translator: Khaerul Izan, Katriana
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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