Prabowo urges ASEAN to build regional food security

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has urged ASEAN member countries to jointly build food security in the region to anticipate threats from extreme weather and the impacts of global geopolitical dynamics.

In the plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit at Mactan Expo, Cebu, Philippines, on Friday, Prabowo emphasised that food is a vital necessity that determines the well-being of the people and national stability.

“Without food, essentially there is no society. Without food, there is no independence. Without food, there is no peace,” said President Prabowo, as quoted from the official broadcast of the Indonesian Government’s Communication Agency (Bakom), confirmed in Jakarta on Friday.

At the highest ASEAN forum, President Prabowo also stated that agriculture is a strategic sector that determines food security, so the state must be actively present to ensure the sustainability of national food production.

“Agriculture is too important. Food security is important. For us, this is the primary responsibility of the government, and the Indonesian Government is determined to take full responsibility and full sovereignty over this vital sector,” said the President.

Therefore, President Prabowo stressed that the Indonesian Government does not fully surrender the agricultural sector to market mechanisms. For the President, government intervention is necessary to maintain the stability of food production and distribution, especially amid increasingly complex global challenges.

“Food security is about government leadership and government intervention. Indonesia does not believe that agriculture should only be left to the private sector,” said the President.

Meanwhile, regarding regional cooperation, President Prabowo proposed simplifying the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) mechanism.

“This is not a challenge that can be handled by one country alone. ASEAN must act together. This also requires simplification of the ASEAN Plus Three (for) Emergency Rice Reserve. We must advance food reserves based on our local reserves,” said Prabowo.

The ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) mentioned by President Prabowo is a permanent mechanism established by ASEAN along with three partner countries, namely China, Japan, and South Korea, specifically for cooperation on rice reserves.

The APTERR Secretariat Office has been officially operational since 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.