50,000 Non-Commissioned Officers To Help Achieve Food Self-Reliance

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) Headquarters will mobilize territorial soldiers including 50 thousand village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa) across the country to help farmers achieve self-reliance in food production in the next three years.

"All territorial personnel including Babinsa will be mobilized to assist the government in achieving self-reliance in food production nationwide," Chief of the Indonesian Army's Information Service Brig. Gen. Wuryanto said while visiting Antara news agency here on Wednesday.

Wuryanto said food was a strategic issue and that all sides must resolve it. The Army signed a cooperation agreement with the Agriculture Ministry in November 2014, aimed at achieving self-reliance in food production in three years' time.

Yet the Army saw the cooperation as a means to achieve not only self-reliance in food production but national food security as well, he said.

"After all, we believe we can achieve self-reliance in food production in one year. We want Indonesia to become self-reliant in food production so we will no longer rely on other countries," he said.

He said chiefs of provincial military commands and district military commands had also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with local agriculture offices to achieve self-reliance in food production.

Under the MoUs, the Agriculture Ministry will provide funds to improve irrigation networks and other agriculture infrastructures and procure subsidized fertilizers, seeds and farm machinery. (WDY)