REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The government has prepared international cooperation to maintain Indonesian food security, in particularly for supply chain. “For instance is to strengthen the ASEAN +3 networks (Japan, South Korea, and China) that have existed before. Also, the cooperation with the US which is known for its food security,” the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Rusman Heryawan, said on Monday.

The cooperation will also include Japan, since the country commits to help Indonesia the problems affecting food supply occur, such as natural disaster and the increase of food price. “The cooperation is not only about the reserve rice emergency, but also for agriculture revitalization, irrigation, and agriculture institutional in the field. Our target is indeed to abolish import, but before we are certain that Indonesia have 10 million tons rice is 2014, the govt still has other options,” Rusman added.

Three teams from three ministries have been prepared in the cooperation. “The first team is the Ministry of Agriculture for revitalizing the agriculture. The second is the Ministry of Trade for preceding supply chain, production, and import option. The last is the secure team of demand supply for the poor, especially when the world food price increases,” Rusman said. Those teams are part of crisis management protocol when food crisis happens.

Meanwhile, the Head of State Logistics Agency (Bulog), Ali Moesa, said, his agency sent a letter of credit (LC) for domestic rice procurement to several regions and set the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). “We have sent the LC and set the COGS, which is 6.500 IDR for Java Island, Sulawesi, and Nusa Tenggara and 6.600 IDR for Aceh even though the Presidential Instruction on COGS has not been issued,” Soetarto said.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika