"We are not asking Depok residents not to eat rice every day but just one day per week in order to promote diversification of the people`s staple food menu and cut rice consumption so as to help maintain the nation`s food resilience," Nur Mahmudi saiDepok, W. Java (ANTARA News) - Depok Mayor Nur Mahmudi Ismail said he had adopted a "One Day No Rice" policy to contribute to the efforts to maintain the nation`s food resilience.
"We are not asking Depok residents not to eat rice every day but just one day per week in order to promote diversification of the people`s staple food menu and cut rice consumption so as to help maintain the nation`s food resilience," Nur Mahmudi said here on Friday.
He further said the policy was a followup to an official letter from the West Java governor asking city administrations in West Java to help ensure the nation`s food resilience.
"This is a strategic and effective program to diversify the people`s staple food and help maintain the country`s food resilience," said Ismail.
On the other hand, the Governor of West Java, Ahmad Heryawan, said there was no ban to eat rice but a need to diversify the people`s menu by encouraging them to eat other foods like cassava, sweet potato, corn, etc.
"Please try to eat other foods and lower your rice consumption because it has reached 130 kilogram per person per day. This is to help ensure the nation`s food resilience and anticipate inflation," said Heryawan in Depok on Friday.
Meanwhile, Dean of Cultural Science Faculty of Indonesia University Bambang Wibawarta said the One Day No Rice regulation would not be effective.
"It is difficult to change the people`s traditional preference for rice while the new policy was launched very suddenly," said Wibawarta.
He further said there were many aspects that had to be prepared and heeded such as the local culture, the effective system and the tools to support the regulation.
"This idea is very partial and will not run smoothly," he said.
According to Wibawarta, the regulation of One Day No Rice was missed the point, if the long term target is to save the use of electricity, firstly, the government needs to prepare the solution or the alternative way to change the use.
He further said to regulate an effective program about the food diversification was needed food strategies, such as assuring the society that the alternative foods have nutrition as much as rice and promoting the price benefit that cassava, corn, or sweet potato`s price is lower than rice.
The Depok City Government starts to regulate One Day No Rice Program internally in the city government office every Tuesday. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
