REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) have met several stakeholders, including the trade and agriculture ministries as well as State Logistics Agency (Bulog), to discuss food security in the 2019 Political Year. The discussion was held at Menara Kadin here on Monday.

The discussion was attended by Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rosan P. Roeslani, Director General of Public Corporation of Bulog Budi Waseso, Head of the Ministry of Agriculture's Food Security Agency Agung Hendriadi, and Head of the Ministry of Trade's Trade Assessment and Development Agency Kasan Muhri, among others.

"We want to discuss food security in the next nine months. It will be a busy year, with the elections and presidential elections, but important aspects to maintain food security and for us at Kadin is a discussion related to the commodities of rice, corn, sugar, and soybean," Chairman of the Kadin Food Security Standing Committee Franciscus Welirang, who was also present at the discussion, stated.

He noted that several commodities, including rice, corn, sugar, soybean, and chicken, were deemed important by all stakeholders to control inflation.

Meanwhile, Perum Bulog's Managing Director Budi Waseso, often called Buwas, noted that food security had not been fully achieved, as Indonesia was still conducting rice imports. According to Buwas, the government had not worked collectively to actually stop imports.

"I am sad that a large agricultural country is still in the era of imported food. Especially, if I become a farmer, it is as if we were not taking sides with the farmers. Hence, how do we think about synergy in building food security," Waseso noted.

The same view was also echoed by Kadin Chairwoman Rosan P. Roeslani, who stressed that in addition to building food security, Indonesia must meet its target as a global food granary in 2045.

The most important aspect is also simultaneously improving the farmers' welfare, which is crucial, as it can be realized by cooperation among all parties, entrepreneurs, and policy makers," Roeslani added.

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