Sustainable Food Strategy

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

A food trader waits for buyers at Tebet Timur Market in South Jakarta on Monday (2/7/2018). Statistics Indonesia recorded an increase of 0.59 percent on the consumer price index in June 2018, with food prices up 0.88 percent on the month.

With the continued increase in food prices around the world, the government needs to prepare short, medium- and long-term measures in order to ensure people\'s access to food.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported on June 3 that the Food Price Index (PPI) for May had increased to 127.1, up 4.8 percent increase from April and 39.7 percent from May 2020. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that food prices at the consumer level will increase year-on-year by 25 percent.

The upward trend in the global food price index began before the pandemic. Large-scale social restrictions implemented at the beginning of the pandemic , supply chain disruptions, the double-to-triple increase in shipping costs over the past 12 months, the rise in fuel prices, as well as the increase in prices at the producer level caused price spikes at the consumer level.

Also read:

> Anticipating the Impact of Rising Global Food Prices

> Rice Imports and Government Stocks

The price increase at the producer level was caused by the La Nina climate phenomenon and it is estimated that it will further disrupt food production in major food exporting countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major countries such as China to increase food imports for domestic food security. At the same time, the demand for biofuels has also increased.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

A member of the Cirebon City PKK driving team prepares food in a public kitchen on Jalan Siliwangi, Cirebon City, West Java, Monday (11/5/2020). They made around 300 food packages for poor people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Public kitchens operate Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

We are a major importer of main food commodities such as soybeans, corn and sugar. Indonesia relies on imported soybeans to meet local demand, while corn imports continue to increase (rising five-fold in March), despite the government’s commitment to achieving self-sufficiency for these commodities. The plan to import 1 million tons of rice in early 2021 has been temporarily postponed.

It needs to map out food stocks that can be mobilized immediately to prevent price increases.

In the short term, we need to ensure that food supplies are sufficient and food access for the people, especially low-income people whose incomes have been severely affected by the pandemic. The government\'s social safety net program should have been able to protect this group of the people if it had reached its targeted recipients. It needs to map out food stocks that can be mobilized immediately to prevent price increases.

Also read:

> Farmers Expect Govt to Absorb unhulled Rice

> Rejection of Rice Imports Intensifies

Maintaining food availability is very important because it has a big influence on inflation. Food is still the biggest expenditure of the lower-middle class. Rising inflation will reduce the purchasing power of this group and may slow down economic recovery.

For the medium and long term, we need national food strategies and policies related to improving the quality of community nutrition, in addition to food availability.

Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the world and food production patterns. Dependence on imports should be reduced as much as possible by developing tropical commodities that have comparative and competitive advantages by taking into account environmental harmony.

POOL VIA AP/JOSE COELHO

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, speaks with Ireland\'s Prime Minister Micheal Martin during an EU summit round table meeting at the Crystal Palace in Porto, Portugal, Saturday, May 8, 2021. On Saturday, EU leaders hold an online summit with India\'s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, covering trade, climate change and help with India\'s COVID-19 surge.

We have non-rice food sources, non-soybean-based tempeh and a lot of animal feed other than corn, ranging from sweet potatoes, cassava, various local beans and sago to palm sugar. It is not too late to develop traditional food commodities in addition to developing new sources, including unconventional ones.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).