Coordinating Ministry: Innovation is Key to Facing Multidimensional Challenges in the Food Sector
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Food assesses that innovation is the key to facing various multidimensional challenges affecting national food security, ranging from climate change to global economic dynamics.
Ridky Irfan Wirautama, Assistant Deputy for Food Logistics at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, stated this during the 2026 Environmental and Social Innovation Awards (ENSIA) organised by PT SUCOFINDO (Persero) in Bali on 10 September 2026.
“Amidst these various challenges, innovation serves as one of the key solutions. The transformation of waste management, including converting waste into electricity, demonstrates how environmental issues can be repurposed into economic value and part of the energy solution,” Ridky said in an official statement in Jakarta on Monday.
According to him, the agricultural and food sectors are a government priority. However, strengthening food security faces complex challenges, such as climate change, food price volatility, natural disasters, the readiness of logistics infrastructure, and the depletion of productive land.
Therefore, the government continues to expand the application of a circular food economy while mitigating the impacts of extreme climate phenomena. In the maritime logistics sector, the government is also encouraging the development of green and smart ports through digital integration, modern governance, the ‘ASRI’ (Clean, Healthy, Neat, and Beautiful) culture, and the 3R principles: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
The development of the blue economy is also part of the effort to strengthen food security while creating new sources of economic growth in coastal areas. This concept is directed towards meeting protein food needs, creating jobs, and opening investment opportunities.
“In 2<0xC2>6, the Red and White Fisherman Village (KNMP) was launched as one of the new economic growth centres in coastal areas, integrating the value chain from upstream to downstream, including production, processing, cold storage and storage facilities, to market distribution networks,” said Ridky.
Ridky emphasised that strengthening food security requires cross-sector collaboration and policy alignment so that the supply chain and logistics of food commodities can operate effectively and reach all regions of Indonesia.
Meanwhile, ENSIA 2026, themed ‘Innovation for Sustainable Business and Resilient Community’, also highlighted the development of the carbon market as a strategic issue alongside food supply chain security.
Senior Researcher at the Korea Research Institute on Climate Change (KRIC), Bonn Choi, stated that the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement opens opportunities for developing carbon market mechanisms as an instrument for emission reduction.
According to Bonn, investment in innovative technology and low-emission facilities can produce economically valuable greenhouse gas emission reductions through carbon market mechanisms in accordance with applicable regulations.
“Emission reduction can provide two main benefits: supporting the achievement of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets and opening new revenue opportunities through carbon trading transactions,” said Bonn.
He added that Indonesia has the potential to develop emission reduction projects in various sectors, ranging from energy, household energy efficiency, waste management, sustainable agriculture, and forestry, to Carbon Capture and Storage/Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCS/CCUS) technology.
He noted that the acceleration of the carbon market needs to be supported by identifying priority sectors, strengthening regulations, and integrating various emission reduction sources into the Emissions Trading System (ETS).
“By identifying priority sectors, Indonesia can direct carbon investments in a measurable manner towards projects that have real environmental impacts, tangible economic benefits, and a greater contribution to development,” he explained.