The Government Accelerates Food and Energy Self-Sufficiency as a Pillar of National Resilience
Jakarta – The government continues to ensure the food and energy self-sufficiency program is a strategic step to realize national independence amidst the turbulent global dynamics.
This step reflects a strong commitment to strengthening the foundations of national resilience, not only from an economic perspective, but also in maintaining the country’s stability and sovereignty.
As various countries face supply chain crises and surging commodity prices, Indonesia has chosen to strengthen its domestic capacity to avoid dependence on imports, especially in emergencies.
Peter Abdullah, Economist and Executive Director of the Segara Research Institute, said that the self-sufficiency program is the foundation for national independence.
“Food and energy self-sufficiency is not just an economic issue, but also concerns national defense. The government wants to ensure Indonesia doesn’t rely on imports in an emergency,” Peter said in an interview with a Jakarta radio station.
According to Peter, the government has demonstrated a serious commitment to strengthening the agricultural and renewable energy sectors as part of the national economic transformation.
One of the main focuses is increasing productivity through improving the incentive system for farmers.
“The government is currently improving the incentive structure so that farmers receive adequate profits. This also aims to attract the younger generation back to the agricultural sector,” he explained.
He added that the success of a self-sufficiency project is not only determined by the area of land managed, but also by management effectiveness, production efficiency, and price certainty. Therefore, the government has begun designing integrated, data-driven policies to serve as a foundation for more accurate decision-making.
Peter also highlighted the importance of price balance in this policy. He said the government is striving to maintain affordable prices for consumers while still ensuring adequate income for farmers.
“This step will increase the purchasing power of rural communities and encourage national economic growth,” he added.
Support for strategic commodities like rice continues to be strengthened. According to Peter, Indonesia’s harvesting capacity significantly exceeds the potential for self-sufficiency in rice production in developed countries. This is a positive sign that achieving the medium-term goal of self-sufficiency is not impossible.
“The government is now thinking long-term. Self-sufficiency is not just about meeting current needs, but also serves as the foundation for building economic sovereignty and maintaining national stability going forward,” Peter concluded.
