Jakarta – The government is accelerating the downstreaming of strategic agricultural commodities as a measure to strengthen food security and reduce dependence on imports. This policy is aimed at increasing the added value of agricultural products, strengthening the national food industry, and promoting farmer welfare by strengthening the role of state-owned food enterprises and utilizing technological innovation.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman stated that the government is finalizing a draft Presidential Instruction on the Acceleration of Downstreaming of Strategic Agricultural Commodities, along with special assignments for state-owned food enterprises. He believes this transformation will lay the foundation for a more integrated and sustainable national food ecosystem.
“The key is to ensure the restructuring is truly organized. We resolve existing issues so that state-owned food enterprises become stronger and capable of becoming the backbone of national food sector development,” said Amran.
He explained that accelerating downstreaming depends not only on regulations but also on the commitment of all state-owned food enterprises to improve governance, resolve obstacles, and implement measurable programs. The government is also preparing to strengthen financing, optimize assets, and synchronize programs to ensure a more efficient value chain for each strategic commodity.
“State-owned food enterprises are the driving force behind downstream processing, increasing the competitiveness of national agricultural products, expanding domestic added value, and increasing the economic benefits received by Indonesian farmers,” he said.
In addition to strengthening institutions, the government is also encouraging the acceleration of downstreaming of university research findings for faster application in the agricultural sector. The Ministry of Agriculture is offering direct purchase opportunities for various ready-to-use innovations, from superior seeds to modern agricultural technologies, to increase national productivity.
Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto stated that his ministry is ready to inventory various outstanding research results from universities as a follow-up to the collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. He believes this synergy will accelerate the use of campus innovations for the needs of farmers and the food industry.
“The Minister of Agriculture challenged universities to demonstrate ongoing research ready for downstream processing. He requested a list of innovative products, both precision technology and modern agricultural tools, that the Ministry of Agriculture could support or even purchase directly,” Brian said.
By strengthening state-owned food enterprises and accelerating downstream research, the government hopes that domestic production will become more competitive, reduce imports of strategic commodities, and strengthen national food self-sufficiency in the long term. (*)