Bapanas strengthens domestic food production reserves to face El Niño
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilisation of the National Food Agency, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, stated that strengthening food reserves from domestic production is being carried out to address the threat of potential dry spells due to the El Niño phenomenon.
Ketut assured that the government has prepared to face the potential El Niño this year, particularly with stronger government food reserves (CPP) compared to previous years.
“We are following the directives of the Head of the National Food Agency and Minister of Agriculture (Andi Amran Sulaiman); the primary mitigation means that as soon as we hear about the impending El Niño phenomenon, we have prepared vigilance. Strengthening food reserves is the spearhead,” said Ketut when confirmed in Jakarta on Friday.
According to him, efforts to mitigate potential impacts are a crucial step ahead of the upcoming dry season.
It is known that the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) reported that El Niño is likely to affect Indonesia, particularly areas south of the equator, starting from early May. The regions predicted to receive El Niño effects include Lampung, Java Island, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara to East Nusa Tenggara.
Nevertheless, Bapanas ensured that strengthening CPP stocks continues alongside the Ministry of Agriculture’s efforts to maintain monthly domestic food production.
Through the extension of Perum Bulog, Ketut continued, the absorption rate equivalent to rice from domestic production is being carried out intensively.
“Bapanas has tasked Bulog with absorbing paddy that will be processed into rice, as a strengthening of CPP,” explained Ketut.
Furthermore, he said the government continues to strive to strengthen CPP stocks not only with rice but also by adding feed corn stocks up to cooking oil. Through these efforts, it is hoped to serve as capital for food availability during the upcoming dry season.
“With the strengthening of CPP, when drought and the like occur, which impacts production, for example, this will certainly be able to support the food availability held by the government. That is what we are doing as initial mitigation,” said Ketut.
Bapanas stated that CPP stocks as of 2 April include 4.4 million tonnes of rice; 168 thousand tonnes of feed corn; 121 thousand kilolitres of cooking oil; 49 thousand tonnes of granulated sugar; 8 thousand tonnes of beef; 3 thousand tonnes of buffalo meat; and 39 tonnes each of chicken meat and chicken eggs, and 17 tonnes.
Previously, the Head of Bapanas and Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman assured that his side is accelerating mitigation steps to face the potential El Niño.
In addition to maintaining domestic food production, Amran also assured that CPP stocks are still sufficient as a mainstay for food intervention programmes for the public.
“Our current achievement, our government rice reserve stock today is 4.4 million tonnes, God willing this month it can reach 5 million tonnes. So our preparation is far better than before,” said Amran.