Self-Sufficiency in Rice Achieved, Khudori Asks Government to Redefine Food Independence Rice production has increased, but agricultural productivity and innovation remain stagnant. Rep: Frederikus Dominggus Bata / Ed: Gita Amanda

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Agricultural Economic Assembly (Perhepi), Khudori, assesses that Indonesia has actually long achieved self-sufficiency in rice. He emphasizes that if self-sufficiency is understood as the ability to meet 90 percent of domestic needs from domestic production, then this condition has been ongoing for the past few years. According to this agricultural observer, the understanding of food self-sufficiency in the era of President Prabowo Subianto's administration tends to refer to a commodity-based approach, not a nutritional one. At the initial stage, the focus is directed towards rice and corn commodities, while other commodities are planned to follow in the coming years. “For rice, using the definition above, Indonesia has actually been self-sufficient for a long time. It is only in certain years that the country is not self-sufficient,” said Khudori in a written note sent to Republika.co.id, quoted on Tuesday ...