Illustrative image (Photo: antaranews) During a recent virtual discussion on “Handling the Threatof a Global Food Crisis”, director of cereal at the ministry’s DirectorateGeneral of Food Crops Ismail Wahab said that the production of staple foods,especially rice, corn, and soybeans, needs to be increased to ensure they arealways available and in a surplus.
Earlier, President Joko Widodo said that Indonesia has beenable to meet domestic rice demand without relying on imports for the last threeconsecutive years.
However, the country still needs to import corn and soybeansto meet domestic needs, Ismail Wahab said, adding that the government is tryingto substitute imported corn with domestic production.
Furthermore, the government has devised a road map forplanting soybean over up to 1.5 million hectares by 2026 to meet nationaldemand without resorting to imports, he said.
He went on to say the food crisis must be preventedthrough diversification.
Wahab said that per capita rice consumption must be reducedand replaced with other staple food, such as cassava, sago, and sorghum, whoseproduction is abundant in the country.
The next strategy is to increase food stocks and strengthenlogistics. Indonesia must set up food granaries at the village, sub-district,district, city, province, and national levels, he said.
It is also important to carry out agricultural modernisationand use superior seed varieties, he added./.
VNA
