Agricom.id, JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo in the meeting with Commission IV, Indonesia Legislators emphasized his commitment to provide food for 267 million citizens of Indonesia by planning the targets of some commodities in 2021.

He thought that the food is the essential issue that should be really well managed. That is why, his statement in the meeting not to be as minister if the targets get decreasing may mean as the irrelevance to decrease the numbers of food production that some told.

“If anyone told to decrease the production targets, I would be the first to reject it. For me, the interests of the farmers and the people should be defended. We have to fulfill the food for the people with our hands,” he said in the hall of Indonesian Legislators, Monday (22/6/2020) as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

The food production should be fulfilled by the country itself. It should not depend on the import. He determined to increase the production nationally, namely for the strategic foods.

SYL also admitted that corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic directly and indirectly is the threat and challenge to guarantee the food. He thought that thee food distribution and production capacity have issues.

“We as the officers in ministry of agriculture, the governors, regents, heads of sub districts, and the farmers are optimist with the targets because the targets are the needs nationally,” he said. (A2)