Indonesia is ranked 70th in the world in terms of food security, although it is endowed with abundant natural resources.
The remark was made by Drajat Sudrajat, an official from Indonesia’sPadjadjaran University (Unpad) at a recent seminar discussing the roleof research institutes and universities in supporting the national fooddiversification program.
Sudrajat said the country has greatpotential to improve its food security thanks to its huge naturalresources, skilled workers and growing market.
Indonesia needs to catch up with India, Vietnam and even Singapore, which now have good food security, he remarked.
Concurring with Drajats’s points, Chief of the Food Security Boardunder the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture Achmad Suryana saidIndonesia has seen fast economic growth and possesses all the attributesto improve food security. Once the potential is managed properly,the country will be able to develop this to the same level as othercountries, the chief said.
He also asserted that Indonesia isable to expand the production of local food commodities of sago, corn,cassava, sweet potato and sorghum to support the diversification of farmproducts.-VNA