JAKARTA: The government plans to continue developing food barns and assist collaboration between state-owned and Jakarta-owned enterprises, to secure rice stocks amid food security challenges following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Jakarta Post in a report quoted Food Security Agency (BKP) head Agung Hendriadi as saying that it aimed to develop 5,000 food barns to secure rice stocks in villages by year end.
To date, there are about 5,000 food barns in the country.
"We hope that during harvest season, farmers and farmer groups can store their crops and take them beyond the harvest season. This is especially important during the pandemic when there are difficulties with importing, so we need to have our own stocks this way," said Agung in a virtual discussion.
The pandemic has disrupted logistics and led to price increases of food stocks for the country.
The Agriculture Ministry is anticipating a surplus of 7.6 million tonnes of rice stock next month — as production and supply will reach 17.6 million tonnes in total while consumption will stand at almost 10 million tonnes.
A report by World Food Programme, however, reflected that rice production was on the decline before the pandemic, where this year's first half estimated rice production was 16.1 million tonnes, lower by 13.2 per cent compared with the same period last year.
"My target is developing (the food barns) in 33,000 villages. If every village has 30 tonnes (of surplus harvest), we will have (about) one million tonnes (of rice) in people's food barns. That should secure for their needs outside the harvest season," Agung added.
Indonesia is also developing a food estate project for food crops, like rice, on 164,000ha of land in North Kalimantan.
The government estimated rice production to reach seven tonnes per hectare, despite experts warning of a possible failure.
State-owned agriculture company PT Sang Hyang Seri and Jakarta-owned PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya, are expected to contribute 6,360 tonnes of rice to the stockpile.
Coordinating Economic Minister's Office deputy of coordination for food and agribusiness Musdhalifah Machmud said both companies were working together to develop 2,000ha of land to produce the rice in the fourth quarter of this year.
Despite the steps taken by the government to secure the country's staple food commodities, Musdhalifah said, Indonesia faced food security challenges due to its increasing population, lack of educated farmers, as well as too many farmer households with small plots of land.