Jakarta Provincial Government Urged to Ensure Food Security for Residents

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairman of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Khoirudin, has called on the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to maintain and ensure food security for residents, given that the capital lacks agricultural land and the global situation is heating up due to the war in the Middle East. “The world situation is not all right; there is conflict in the Middle East, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has already impacted our neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. Of course, we must prepare,” said Khoirudin, Chairman of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, in Jakarta on Monday. He expressed concern over the current global situation and urged the Provincial Government of DKI to safeguard food security, especially since Jakarta has no agricultural land. Regarding food security, he plans to conduct spot checks at several markets and the Jakarta regional-owned food enterprise (BUMD) to ensure that food availability for Jakarta’s population is secure. “Jakarta has no rice fields, no agricultural land, so we must ensure that food availability for Jakarta’s 11.6 million residents is there and safe,” said Khoirudin. Furthermore, he stated that food availability, especially rice in Jakarta, can be considered safe if there are 30,000 tonnes of rice circulating in the market, while the current stock in warehouses is around 12,000 tonnes. Therefore, he is determined to conduct spot checks at several markets and warehouses to ensure food availability in Jakarta. “I will conduct spot checks soon to ensure the amount of rice. The circulating rice should be at least 30,000 tonnes, and 12,500 tonnes stored in warehouses. That is safe. I must ensure it is safe for the next two or three months,” emphasised Khoirudin.