"It is the duty of the next government to free Indonesia from the influx of food imports," Arnold Sitompul noted here on Tuesday.
Based on the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), Indonesia is frequently importing various kinds of commodities.
"During the January-October 2013 period, food imports were high, reaching 15.4 million tons," Arnold reported.
Arnold Sitompul is of the viewpoint that Indonesias dependence on import commodities has led to a shift wherein farming areas in Java have been converted into human settlements.
"Areas for farming in West Java, Banten, Central Java, and East Java, have been transformed into human settlements, resulting in a drastic decline in agricultural production.
In the meantime, the government is taking anticipatory steps in the face of a possible protracted period of drought and bad weather by preparing for food needs and stability reserve funds, the chief economic minister remarked.
"We will remain on standby and have taken anticipatory steps to maintain rice production," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa reiterated after attending a coordination meeting to discuss food issues on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Agriculture Minister Suswono, Trade Minister M. Lutfi, State-owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Cicip Sutarjo, Chief of the Central Bureau of Statistics Suryamin, and Chief of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) agency Andi Eka Sakya, among others.
According to Hatta, food stocks by the end of April will be adequate and faced no constraints in their distribution, so the inflation rate in April is under control and relatively low.
The prices in April showed a declining trend. Rice prices, for instance, declined by 2.16 percent as compared to those in March.
"Distribution was smooth, so there was no significant inflation from volatile food supplies," he added.
In addition, the government is now building a reserve fund of Rp2 trillion for 2014, as an anticipatory measure if there is a long drought in future that can affect food stability.
"There is no significant problem with regard to seeds and fertilizers, and we have already prepared a fund of Rp2 trillion," he stated.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
