Zulkifli Hasan Assures National Food Stocks Are Safe

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan has assured the public that national food availability is in a safe condition in the face of the current dry season. He urged people not to worry about the threat of a food crisis, even though most parts of the country are not receiving rainfall. This was conveyed by Zulkifli after attending the declaration of the ‘Pilah Sampah Bersama dari Rumah’ (Sorting Waste Together from Home) action in Bandung on Friday (24/7). The event was also attended by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan, and West Java Police Chief Inspector General Pipit Rismanto. ‘It is still raining now, we are ready. So if food is safe, there is no need to worry,’ he said. He detailed that the current national rice reserve is above 5 million tonnes. Besides rice and corn commodities showing a positive upward trend, the government has also ensured that the availability of other important commodities such as eggs and chicken is well maintained. Based on the data presented, the exchange rate for agricultural and food commodities continues to show improvement. The farmer exchange rate for corn, for example, has increased from 116 to 127. The Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) added that the government is currently focusing special attention on the welfare of fishermen, whose exchange rate currently stands at 103. To boost their income, the government has prepared a number of strategic programmes for this year and next. One concrete step to be implemented is the construction of 40,000 thematic fishing villages. Each village will be allocated a budget of IDR 1.2 billion to optimise the potential of the marine and fisheries sector. Through this programme, Zulkifli is optimistic that the exchange rate and income of fishermen can be significantly boosted by next year. ‘The poorest now are the fishermen at 103, next year we will change their income to approximately 120. Please pray for and support us,’ he said.