President Prabowo Strengthens Agricultural Infrastructure Towards Sustainable Food Self-Sufficiency
*By: Daffa Aula
The government continues to move to realize the great ideals of building food security and making Indonesia a country that is capable of being self-sufficient in food. The government is confident that food self-sufficiency can be achieved in a relatively short time. This belief was conveyed by President Prabowo Subianto in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 in Jakarta.
President Prabowo emphasized that food self-sufficiency can be achieved in the near future. President Prabowo even gave a time reference, namely that Indonesia could be self-sufficient in food in 2026.
The government’s optimism in achieving food self-sufficiency clearly provides great hope for Indonesia’s 270 million people. However, the government must also pay attention to other supporting facilities and infrastructure. Don’t let your expenses exceed your income, be big on your desires but not maximize your infrastructure. Water management by optimizing the function of dams to support increased agricultural productivity needs to be strengthened.
President Prabowo Subianto is confident that food self-sufficiency can be achieved by the end of this year at the earliest. This was stated by Prabowo in his direction at the Plenary Cabinet Session, at the Presidential Office, Presidential Palace Area, Central Jakarta. The President admitted that he had received a report from the ministry that handles food that this year there will be no more imports of food commodities. Starting from rice, corn, to salt.
Prabowo expressed his gratitude to the ranks of ministers who provided reports and have worked hard to create food self-sufficiency. Indonesia will not import rice, corn, salt.
The government is swiftly continuing to try to anticipate the food crisis that is occurring globally. The government is able to read the current global situation which is not friendly in terms of world food needs.
The government’s target of 2025 food self-sufficiency is a very clear message to the Indonesian people. The difficulty of meeting food needs after the Covid pandemic is a very valuable lesson. Plus the Russia-Ukraine war which is still ongoing has had a global impact. As well as the endless political situation in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas which has had a bad impact, not only on food needs, but also on the humanitarian impact which has really created a difficult situation in the conflicted region.
Therefore, the Indonesian government must be able to ensure that the food needs of all its people can be met properly, because in the midst of a global crisis, the whole world is holding back exports of its food commodities, because they are also taking anticipatory measures for domestic needs and do not dare to take risks. This is what makes it difficult to import if domestic needs are lacking.
In facing the world crisis, no country allows food to leave its country because the next demand is that Indonesia must be able to make technological breakthroughs to create human resources, science, to support the target of achieving food self-sufficiency.
Meanwhile, in strengthening the achievement of food self-sufficiency, what must not be forgotten is the support of infrastructure. Indonesia as an agricultural country is certainly inseparable from water resources. This is what must be able to function optimally in managing abundant water resources by building dams to support water management for agricultural needs.
Water is vital for agricultural needs that can meet the target of creating abundant food. Within 100 working days, the president has inaugurated the Rukoh dam in Aceh and Jlantah in Central Java. Both dams are intended to support increasing agricultural productivity.
The Jlantah Dam will supply water to 1,494 ha of rice fields in Jatiyoso and Jumapolo Districts. The existence of the dam in Karanganyar Regency can also increase the Planting Index (IP) from 172 percent to 272 percent on 806 ha of land. Then on 688 ha of land, IP has the potential to reach 272 percent.
Meanwhile, the Rukoh Dam will irrigate 11,950 hectares (ha) of irrigation land with a rice-rice-secondary crops planting pattern and a planting intensity of 300 percent.
Waskita Karya Corporate Secretary Ermy Puspa Yunita said that as a state-owned construction company, her party always supports government programs through infrastructure development. Ermy further said that through the dam project, her party is also encouraging food security and downstreaming which are currently the focus of the government.
According to her, the Rukoh and Jlantah Dams also support water and energy security because they not only function to provide raw water but also have the potential to be power plants.
Rukoh is capable of providing raw water of 0.90 cubic meters per second (m3/dt) and has the potential to be a Solar Power Plant (PLTS) of 140 MegaWatts (MW). While Jlantah can supply raw water of up to 150 liters per second. Then it has the potential to be a Solar Power Plant (PLTS) of 140 MegaWatts (MW).Micro Hydro Power (PLMTH) of 0.625 Megawatts.
According to the Minister of Agriculture Amran, the success of the food self-sufficiency program depends on the synergy between the central government, regional governments, and the community. He emphasized that optimization of swamp land and strengthening collaboration with various parties continues to be carried out. In addition, support in the form of agricultural tools and machinery (alsintan), superior seeds, and fertilizers has also been prepared so that this program can run smoothly.
In addition to focusing on land optimization, the Ministry of Agriculture also pays great attention to increasing the capacity of human resources (HR) in the agricultural sector.
The author is a Public Policy Observer.
