DPD RI: Jasela Deserves to Become a Special Food Security Buffer Region
A member of the DPD RI, Abdul Kholik, believes that the Jasela region on the South Coast of Central Java deserves to be promoted as a special food security buffer area due to its strong historical, sociological, and factual foundations to support national food resilience.
After attending a Focused Group Discussion titled “Prospects for Establishing a Special Food Security Buffer Region in the Jasela Area” at the Muhammadiyah Regional Leadership Office (PDM) in Banyumas Regency, Purwokerto, on Wednesday afternoon, Abdul Kholik said that the attending academics, doctors, professors, and activists confirmed the significant strategic potential of the region.
“Many doctors, professors, and activists attended and reconfirmed that Jasela, as a regional concept we are advocating for, has a very strong foundation. Its history is clear, sociologically it is established, and factually it is also clear,” he said.
According to him, the idea of establishing a special food security buffer region in Jasela aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s vision of realising national food resilience and independence.
“So this is not just because the President is from here, but the facts and data all show that Jasela is part of safeguarding Indonesia’s food continuity, while also preventing future food crises,” he said.
He assessed that if the government wants to ensure its food independence programme runs optimally, Jasela needs to become one of the focuses of attention in national development policy formulation.
“If the President wants his programme to succeed, Jasela must become one of the President’s focuses of attention moving forward,” he emphasised.
“We hope the President pays attention to the Jasela special food security buffer region so that it becomes a forward policy that can realise the vision of food-independent Indonesia,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of PDM Banyumas Regency, M Djohar, welcomed the implementation of the discussion as part of efforts to realise the aspiration of making South Java or Jasela a special food security buffer region.
“Personally, as a resident of Jasela, we have a strong spirit to realise this aspiration. When South Java can become a special food security buffer region, not just locally but nationally, this is an extraordinary achievement,” he said.
He said that Muhammadiyah has also prepared various community empowerment programmes that support strengthening the agricultural sector through the Community Empowerment Council to the Muhammadiyah Farmer Congregation.
“The results of this discussion will later be brought to the central government and the Central Muhammadiyah Leadership to gain support,” he said.
An agriculture expert from Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) in Purwokerto, Prof Totok Agung Dwi Haryanto, stated that developing Jasela as a food buffer region needs to be based on location-specific technology so that the commodities cultivated match the region’s characteristics.
According to him, Jasela is a unique region because it has diverse landscapes, from coastal areas, lowlands, midlands, to highlands, thus requiring commodity mapping according to each area’s potential.
He said that the region has great prospects because it is supported by population numbers, infrastructure, environmental carrying capacity, availability of water resources, and fishery potential.
The discussion also featured representatives from Bank Indonesia, academics from the University of Indonesia, representatives from Perum Bulog, representatives from PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), and several other agencies.