Our food security<\/p>\n
Indonesia and most other countries which observed World Food
\nDay 1996 yesterday, can feel content that the neo-Malthusian
\ndooms-day scenario about food supply has so far failed to
\nmaterialize.<\/p>\n
Viewed globally, the war against hunger, undernourishment and
\nmalnutrition has been more a distribution problem than one of
\ninsufficient food. This, however, does not mean that universal
\nfood security has finally been achieved and all people are
\nassured of the nutrition they need to lead a full and productive
\nlife.<\/p>\n
In fact, the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agricultural
\nOrganization (FAO) is not exaggerating when it projects the world
\nmay suffer a food deficit of 160 million tons by the year 2010
\nbecause between 80 and 90 million new mouths have to be fed every
\nyear.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto, who was honored by FAO in 1985 for
\nIndonesia's success in achieving self-sufficiency in rice -- the
\nnational staple -- in 1984, thinks even farther ahead. He rightly
\nforesees a dual challenge to future food security.<\/p>\n
He sees the long-term sustainability of an adequate food
\nsupply as the foundation for food security. But adequate supply
\nis not enough. The quality of nutrition is also crucial for
\nhealth, which in turn is one of the most essential components for
\nthe development of human resources.<\/p>\n
The President noted that maintaining an adequate supply of
\nfood is in itself already an uphill challenge for a country with
\na population of almost 200 million. As the population grows by at
\nleast by 1.5 percent a year along with per capita income
\nincreases and economic expansion, both the supply and variety of
\nfood will have to increase steadily as well. But the amount of
\narable land with good irrigation networks, the most suitable for
\nrice crops, has been steadily declining because it is being
\nconverted for other uses such as housing and industrial sites and
\noffice buildings. Moreover, the rate of yield growth generated by
\nnew technology such as high-yielding strains and fertilizer seems
\nto be diminishing.<\/p>\n
The government has embarked on developing one million hectares
\nof new rice fields in Central Kalimantan in a bid meet the rising
\ndemand, but the yield in this area will not be as high as that in
\nthe well-irrigated farms of Java. The sustainability of rice
\ncrops in peat and swampy land, as in Kalimantan, has not yet been
\nproven in terms of environmental and economic viability.<\/p>\n
The President rightly pointed to our marine resources as a
\npotentially big supplier of protein which has not yet been tapped
\noptimally. As the largest archipelagic state in the world, with
\nmore than 17,000 islands, Indonesia indeed possesses huge marine
\nresources which, if developed properly, could become the nation's
\nsecond largest source of food.<\/p>\n
The challenge, though, is that our fisheries sector remains
\none of the least developed of our natural resources. In fact, our
\nfishing community harbors many pockets of poverty for various
\nreasons, including the extreme lack of well-coordinated policies
\nand excessively arduous licensing procedures. The government
\noften complains that the national production of sea fisheries is
\nonly around 30 percent of the sustainable catch. But the industry
\nremains shackled by over-regulation.<\/p>\n
The agriculture ministry, so far preoccupied with the task of
\nmaintaining rice self-sufficiency, has not allocated enough
\nresources to the fishing industry. Besides, there seems to be too
\nmany government hands meddling in the fishing sector, while
\nforeign fishing vessels continue to poach our sea resources. The
\ngovernment did move recently to deregulate the fishing industry
\nby easing import restrictions on fishing ships but the measure is
\nbeing hindered by a lack of understanding and cooperation between
\nthe related institutions.<\/p>\n
The President's emphasis on the theme "We improve the
\nnutrition of the people through fish consumption" for this year's
\nFood Day will hopefully be followed by more concerted,
\ncoordinated efforts to develop marine resources.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/our-food-security-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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