Dony Oskaria Stresses Rice Self-Sufficiency is Not Mere Rhetoric: Bulog Lacks Storage Space!
Jakarta, VIVA – The Head of the State-Owned Enterprises Executive Agency, Dony Oskaria, has emphasised that food security is not merely rhetoric but a tangible reality. He highlighted groups still doubting food self-sufficiency, despite its concrete implementation being directly carried out by state-owned enterprises in the food sector.
“Many claim that self-sufficiency is a lie. Those saying it’s a lie might be hallucinating. Bulog is under my oversight, and the goods (related to rice self-sufficiency) are genuinely there. Today, I even have to inject another Rp39 trillion into Bulog because it must purchase the people’s harvest,” Dony stated firmly in a video excerpt from his speech at a Pertamina event this week.
According to Dony, the massive increase in national rice production is evident from the increasingly limited storage capacity. “We (Bulog) are still building warehouses today. We’re even short of warehouses. Currently, we’re renting warehouses,” he continued.
Dony explained that the government believes a nation’s sovereignty is largely determined by its ability to stand on its own, particularly in the food sector. “Our conviction is that a sovereign nation is one with the capability to be self-reliant, especially in the field of food,” he said.
Dony elaborated that food self-sufficiency is a collaborative process undertaken by ministries and agencies under the direct guidance of President Prabowo. Several technical ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, and state-owned enterprises in the food sector are synergising to implement concrete programmes. One of them is the development of new paddy fields in various regions.
In addition, Dony said, the government is also improving irrigation systems, lowering fertiliser prices through changes in business models and distribution, and ensuring the sustainability of agricultural land by limiting land-use conversions. Dony described these steps as part of a grand strategy to maintain long-term food availability while protecting future generations.
Furthermore, Dony stressed that all these policies are integral to the transformation towards more fundamental and equitable economic growth. Food security serves as one of the main pillars to ensure that development not only grows in numbers but is truly felt by the wider community, particularly farmers as the primary actors in that sector.