President Prabowo Demonstrates Commitment, Food and Water Self-Sufficiency Becoming a Reality
JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving food self-sufficiency, especially rice, for the sake of national resilience.
“Food security is a matter of sovereignty and the survival of the nation. If we want to become a developed country, food must be secure first,” he emphasized.
One of the key policies highlighted is the establishment of a rice harvest price of IDR 6,500 per kilogram to improve the welfare of farmers and maintain economic stability.
“Farmers must be prosperous. Therefore, the government has set the price of dry harvested rice at IDR 6,500, and I am ready to issue a Government Regulation (PP),” said the President.
Prabowo also stressed that the market mechanism will still apply, but no party should take excessive profits.
“If other countries can do it, Indonesia should be able to as well. If they don’t want to, just close it. The state will take over the rice milling. This is a matter of life and death,” he asserted.
In line with this, the Chairman of Perpadi, Sutarto Alimoeso, reported that several regions have started supplying rice to Bulog in accordance with the government’s policy. The President also called for strict supervision to ensure that the rice price remains stable and to prevent market speculation.
“Each district has the local military commander and police. I ask them to oversee the rice mills to ensure they do not harm the farmers,” he said.
The President is optimistic that in the coming months, Indonesia will be even closer to achieving the target of food self-sufficiency.
To ensure the success of this program, the President emphasized the importance of cooperation between the central government, regional governments, and all elements of society.
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), stressed the importance of infrastructure development to support food self-sufficiency and equitable welfare.
“For the first time, this nomenclature has been established, proving President Prabowo’s seriousness in improving infrastructure development,” said AHY.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works (PU) is set to inaugurate six dams across five provinces in early 2025 to support food and water security.
“We all agree that water resource infrastructure is critical for food self-sufficiency,” said Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo.
These six dams include the Rukoh and Keureuto Dams in Aceh, the Jlantah Dam in Central Java, the Sidan Dam in Bali, the Marangkayu Dam in East Kalimantan, and the Meninting Dam in West Nusa Tenggara.
With these various measures, the government is showing its seriousness in achieving food and water self-sufficiency for the welfare of the people. The President also emphasized that the sustainability of this program must be ensured in the long term so that future generations can continue to benefit from it.
