Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia will be able to realise food independence in less than three years, said its Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman on July 28 when he attended the National Food Agency's (Bapanas) Nusantara Food Festival.
The Government of Indonesia is implemeting measures to develop agriculture and increase food production capacity.
According to Sulaiman, Indonesia is also striving to boost national productivity through the allocation of 9.5 million tonnes of subsidised fertilisers.
The government is also distributing seeds, agricultural machines and tools, and the installation of pumps to irrigate the rice fields by channeling water from rivers that never dry up.
Sulaiman said that the pumping programme includes the use of 20,559 units of pumps daily, which have helped irrigate around 582,528 ha of rice fields in West Java, Central Java, East Java, and other regions outside Java Island.
The Statistics Indonesia (BPS) and the Bapanas projected that Indonesia will have a surplus of 700,000 tonnes in the next two months.
It is expected that domestic food production can replace dependence on imports.
Sulaiman affirmed that not only the Agriculture Ministry, but the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), Bapanas and agencies are coordinating to ensure domestic food supply./.
