VP to Monitor Development of Food Self-Sufficiency Programs

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla is scheduled to visit a number of regions in Java from Thursday to Saturday to monitor the progress of the government's food self-sufficiency programs in the areas.

Based on information from the Vice Presidential Secretariat provided to journalists, on Thursday Kalla will tour West Java to visit among others the Jatiluhur dam, the Subang sugar mill, the Sukamdani Agriculture Hall and the Indramayu steam-powered electricity plant (PLTU).

He will visit the locations in a helicopter.

The Vice President will on Friday visit regions in Central Java such Grobogan and Sragen. While on Saturday, December 6, 2014, Kalla will tour the East Java regions.

The Vice President once promised to create food self-sufficiency in one year. So far, he said, the Indonesian people have relied on imports of various food crops because the country's production capacity is still low.

With the allocation of funds obtained from the cuts in fuel oil subsidies, Kalla said that the government could carry out improvement and technology reform programs to support the food self-sufficiency goal.

Last month, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said in Australia he wished to make the country self-sufficient in food within three years by implementing a number of programs.

In a meeting, the president told Indonesian community members in Australia that the country's dependence on other nations for food commodities had been considerable.

"I have told ministers that we have to become self-reliant within three years, especially with regard to rice, corn and soybean. We may extend it to up to five years for sugar," he said.

President Jokowi was in Australia to attend the G-20 Summit.

Jokowi has threatened to replace ministers concerned if the target is not achieved.

"We have to set a target when we work. If the target is not met, I will certainly replace them (the ministers). We have not been able to achieve self-reliance in food commodities for tens of years. Yesterday, I met with the Vietnamese president and he asked if Indonesia needed more rice," he stated then.

Like Indonesia, Vietnam is also a member of ASEAN. The Vietnamese president was concerned that Indonesia has not been able to be self-reliant in rice.

Jokowi further added that he believed harvests would be abundant if irrigation networks were rehabilitated in the upcoming years.

With this in mind, he pointed out that he had also ordered the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) to prepare itself to collect the harvest and downstream industries to accommodate it.

President Jokowi noted that they would " concentration on food and energy," as well as renewable energy sources. (WDY)