Indonesia Could Be Prone To Food Insecurity

Jakarta, Dec 5 (ANTARA) - Indonesia could be prone to food insecurity (in 2014) if the country fails to find a comprehensive and a revolutionary solution, according to Muhammad Zamkhani, deputy minister for primary industries at the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry. "If there is no revolutionary solution to food sovereignty and security, Indonesia will face the risk of food insecurity in 2014," said Zamkhani, in a seminar on Indonesia Agribisnis Outlook 2013, on Wednesday. He explained that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has set the rice production target of a surplus of 10 million tonnes by 2014. This can be achieved if the stakeholders are committed to reaching the target. Zamkhani said that the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry had launched the Corporate-based Food Production Improvement Movement (GP3K) in 2011. According to him, the GP3K aims to increase the production of the following food crops: rice, soybean and corn. The GP3K aims to increase the area of farmlands, from 530,000 hectares in 2011 to 897,000 hectares in 2012 and to 3.2 million hectares in 2013. The government is keen on developing farmlands outside Java, by building large-scale food estates.