Indonesian Army Forms Production Companies to Strengthen National Food Security

The Indonesian Army has formed Production Companies spread across all regions of Indonesia, including Pekalongan City, Central Java, as an effort to strengthen national food security. Brigadier General Antoninho Rangel Da Silva, Director of Systems and Methods at the Army Territorial Centre, stated during a Technical Guidance on Production Company Readiness in Pekalongan that the Production Company is an Army programme to strengthen regional resilience, particularly in the food sector. “The Production Company was created to strengthen regional resilience and food security. They are trained in agricultural, fisheries, and livestock skills so they are able to create strong and proportional food security conditions,” he said on Thursday. According to him, the programme’s development in Pekalongan will be adapted to the local area’s characteristics, which have fisheries potential including aquaculture development with biosaline patterns, as well as the agricultural sector. He added that the enrolled personnel will be equipped with capabilities in agriculture, fisheries, and livestock farming to support food availability both in peaceful situations and when facing emergency conditions. Pekalongan Deputy Mayor Balgis Diab assessed that this technical guidance activity will further strengthen the synergy between the local government and the Army in supporting the national food security programme. “We hope this activity can increase the participants’ capacity while strengthening collaboration between the local government and the Army. Going forward, food security in this region is expected to become better and of higher quality,” she said. Similar support was also conveyed by Pekalongan City Police Operations Section Head, Commissioner Paryudi, who stated that the National Police together with the local Regional Leadership Communication Forum are ready to support the formation of the Production Company as a concrete step in making the food security programme, which is one of the central government’s priorities, a success. “Through the formation of the Production Company, it is hoped that integrated cooperation between the Army, local government, and the community will be realised in increasing the productivity of the food sector to support the realisation of sustainable food security,” he said.