Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has asked his Cabinet ministers to work together to achieve food and energy self-sufficiency during his 2024–2029 term.According to the President, food and energy self-sufficiency are needed to strengthen Indonesia's position amid the current uncertain global geopolitical situation.
"We must be self-sufficient in food; that is a basic priority because if we look at the current global situation, a major war can break out at any time," he said in his speech at the first plenary session of the Red and White Cabinet at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday.
"We must guarantee our ability to feed our own people. Energy self-sufficiency is absolute," he added.
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He noted that Indonesia has abundant natural resources to support food self-sufficiency. Such potential must be utilized wisely through the downstream industry. Prabowo also expressed the hope that the downstreaming program will be pursued by his Cabinet ministers to realize energy self-sufficiency.
The responsibility of carrying out downstreaming to build energy self-sufficiency lies with several ministries, such as the Investment and Downstreaming Ministry, National Development Planning Ministry, and Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, he emphasized.
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Later, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and chairperson of the National Economic Council could also help carry out an inventory of important projects for the downstreaming program.
"(We have currently) 26 major commodity projects; they are commodities that must be downstreamed immediately. Make a list and we will immediately seek funds, so that we can start downstreaming in the shortest possible time," Prabowo said.
Food, energy, and water self-sufficiency are among Prabowo's 17 priority Astacita programs.
The downstreaming of natural resources is considered key for creating food, energy, and water self-sufficiency in Indonesia for the benefit of the people.