Agricom.id, JAKARTA – The pandemic of corona virus (Covid-19) is very potential to block the food system by the disturbance of supply chain. So the government of Indonesia thought that each country needs to recover and strengthen the food system as the nowadays priority.

"The pandemic of Covid-19 really disturbs the food supply chain which raises volatility of the food price and the decreasing of buying in the national and global level. So our focus is to strengthen the food system,” Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo said when joining the G20 Extraordinary Agriculture Ministers Virtual Meeting, Tuesday (21/4/2020), that the government of Saudi Arabia proposed.

Syahrul thought that each member of G20 should do three things to strengthen the food system. The first is to initiate the food system recovery globally to guarantee the high food production, the food chain supply globally should be normal, and the food trade internationally should have no ban and according to the regulation in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The second is to support the responsible and sustainable investment, to increase the roles of private sector through public private partnership in food and agriculture.

“And the last is to increase the technology transfer and develop the capacity namely to the countries in need, to increase the efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

To strengthen the food system, Indonesia tries to maintain the food and nutrient stocks, namely for the family having the small income. The policy to minimize the impact of Covid-19 would be done in measure and temporary.

“These are about to ensure the food farmers who are mostly in small scale would do the farming, to guarantee the food distribution well from the producers to the end consumers, to strengthen the social security network for the family who has small income and the vulnerable groups, such as, the small scale farmers,” he explained.

He also mentioned that the obstacles of food stocks globally should be minimized. The policy that may make the food more expensive should be avoided. Besides, it needs to make the food distribution guaranteed.

“Everything should run by noticing the prevention of the spread of Covid-19. It needs transparency guarantee to avoid the uncertainty but guarantee the market stability,” he said.

In specific, to solve the bad impact of Covid-19, Indonesia takes the members of G20 to develop solidarity globally namely to help the countries in need. G20 should cooperate to guarantee the food stocks globally, make sure enough food stocks, and should base on the food security standard right on time for those in need.

“Indonesia is ready to be part of the global solution by cooperating to face the Covid-19, in the solidarity spirit globally,” he mentioned.

He thought that Indonesia concerns about the pandemic of Covid-19 which hits many countries in the world. Just like other countries, Indonesia does as maximal as it could to solve the epidemic of Covid-19. The government tries to minimize the impacts for the economic progress, the realization of sustainable development goals, and social – economic aspects.

The G20 meeting was led by Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Abdulmochsin Alfadley, and joined by the ministers of agriculture of G20, and the international organization representatives. Because of the pandemic Covid – 19, the meeting was done by video conference.

“We thank and appreciate the government of Saudi Arabia which initiated the meeting as the positive thought of the G20 members to the impact of Covid-19 to the food and nutrient security,” he said by closing his opinion. (A2)