Speakingat the Food and Agriculture Summit 2021 on August 3, Indonesian CoordinatingMinister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said Indonesia's economy starts to recover thanks to efforts to boost economic developmentand contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
Theindustrial, agricultural, commercial, construction and mining sectors significantlycontribute to Indonesia's GDP growth, but only the agricultural sector remainsresilient, Hartarto noted.
Thepandemic has raised challenges related to poverty, unemployment, inequality,and affected food security, he said.
The Indonesiangovernment has swiftly implemented agricultural development programmes toensure food security and improve incomes for farmers and fishermen.
According to theminister, the country has built food production zones to strengthen thenational food system.
PresidentJoko Widodo has directed to implement food park projects in Central Kalimantanand North Sumatra, which has made it easier for farmers to access support,financial resources and other assistances from the government and private sectors.
Anotherprogramme to promote agricultural production is the development ofexport-oriented horticulture in order to increase farmers' incomes, Hartartosaid.
Accordingly,investors will provide high-quality seeds and support the packaging process,while the government provides financial and export support to improve thecompetitiveness of horticultural products./.