Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Senior economist of University of Indonesia, Faisal Basri supports the way of Ministry of Agriculture Indonesian Republic to run local food diversity massively and sustainably. He thought that food diversification should be for food and could strengthen food security nationally.

“It needs to run food diversification, for example, making noodle made of wheat should be substituted from cassave. We have kinds of food from cassava and sago. I think that the government should support it,” he said in a webinar on Tuesday (22/12/2020).

He also appreciated the lower number of food deficit nationally that happens in the last two years. Based on the data of global food security index, the agriculture in Indonesia positively develops.

“Food deficit decreased in the last two years. It means, every single day, it gets smaller. We should be grateful that in the pandemic, data of global food security index showed that the agriculture positively develops,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

He also mentioned that both Ministry of Agriculture and other ministry should do the best and make the pandemic moment as the way to increase exports. He is also optimist that Indonesia could survive from the crisis in Covid-19 pandemic.

“The key to strengthen the food nationally is by making the better logistic system. If I may suggest, it is better for the government to improve the sea high way to distribute our food logistic,” he said.

Knowing this, Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo said that the local food diversification is part of the strategic program in Ministry of Agriculture which massively runs in Indonesia.

"We need to support food diversification, such as, encouraging sago, cassava, and banana as the healthy commodity to consume. We also encourage to plant in house yard to make logistic back-up in many villages, sub districts, and districts. Not only that, we are also developing smart farming and Gratieks (Gerakan Tiga Kali Ekspor). Every program relates one to another to realize food security,” he said.

For information, Ministry of Agriculture encourages to run integrated farming within its derivative programs, such as, the cultivation of Pekarangan Pangan Lestari (P2L). The program is the way of government to provide sources of food sustainably. (A2)