At ASEAN Summit, Prabowo Reminds of Increasingly Urgent Food Security

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, warned of the threat of an extreme El Niño phenomenon during the plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, on Friday (8/5/2026).

Amid these conditions, Prabowo assessed that strengthening ASEAN’s food security has become increasingly urgent.

“We have been warned by international organisations about the risk of a very extreme El Niño looming ahead of us. In this regard, food security is becoming increasingly urgent,” said Prabowo on Friday, quoted from a press release.

The Head of State also emphasised the importance of strengthening ASEAN’s regional food security to address global challenges.

“We must remember that our region has strategic trade routes passing through our waters, and we must be careful to avoid disruptions in our own region,” he said.

According to Prabowo, food challenges cannot be handled by individual countries alone.

Prabowo also encouraged strengthening information exchange, food diversification, agricultural technology development, and the optimisation of ASEAN’s regional food reserves.

“This is not a challenge that can be handled by one country alone. ASEAN must act together. This also requires the simplification of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve. We must advance our Food Security Reserve based on local reserves,” said Prabowo.

He added that food security requires leadership and active government intervention.

“For us, this is the primary responsibility of the government, and the Indonesian Government is determined to bear full responsibility and full sovereignty over this vital sector. Without food, there is essentially no society. Without food, there is no independence. Without food, there is no peace,” said Prabowo.