Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has expressed optimism about ceasing rice imports by 2025, considering an increase in national food production."I am confident that by 2025, we will no longer import rice," he said during the plenary cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday.
He expressed his desire for Indonesia to end imports of all food commodities, voicing hope that the nation would strengthen its position in the food sector.
"In the future, we will become stronger in this food sector. We will not only stop rice imports but also stop imports of all food commodities," Prabowo emphasized.
He thanked the Coordinating Minister for Food and his team for handling food issues in Indonesia.
"Our food production has increased, and our food reserves are probably at their highest level in several years. We currently have around 2 million tons of food stored in our warehouses," Prabowo said.
He added that this achievement can be attributed to the hard work of his cabinet members and several agencies.
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"My appreciation also goes to the Minister of Agriculture and his team, the state logistics firm Bulog, the National Food Agency, all elements of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), and all related SOEs," he said.
He also thanked the Home Affairs Minister for helping in inflation monitoring and the seventh Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, for enabling the current government to handle this year's challenges, such as El Nino and La Nina.
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"We were able to overcome the dry season amidst uneasy geopolitical tension, which affected food problems," Prabowo said.
He pointed out that during tensions and crises, exporting countries tend to stop export activities.
"This phenomenon has occurred many times. However, we are now in an increasingly strong position," he added.
