VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko “jJokowi” Widodo asserted that strategic food reserves need to be created to anticipate a world food crisis as warned by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Thus, he appointed Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to lead the national food storage project in Pisau Island, Central Kalimantan.

According to the former Jakarta Governor, food security is part of the national defense. “Defense is not only about defense systems (alutsista), but also food security,” said the President to reporters at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, Monday, July 13.

He stressed that the project helmed by Prabowo will be supported by the Agriculture Ministry. “The Agriculture Minister will back him up. Other agricultural and food matters will still be the authority of the Agriculture Minister,” he added. 

Lands that will be used for food storage later are not peat land, he underlined. The government had inspected and made sure there are alluvial lands. The food estate will later turn into a food reserve based on existing needs.

“For example the country faces a shortage of rice, farmers will then plant rice. If it is short of corn, farmers will plant corn. We checked the lands yesterday, and we can plant corn, rice, chili there,” Jokowi outlined. (tempo.co)

Documentary film titled "I am the ocean"

Indonesia's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Ministry released a documentary film titled "I am the ocean" to be aired during the Indonesia-Canada Congress to intensify awareness of the importance of the sea for public welfare.

The documentary film will be screened at the Indonesia Canada Congress to celebrate Indonesia’s Independence Day in 2020 in Ottawa, Canada, KKP's Director General of Marine Space Management, Aryo Hanggono, noted in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.

Seas constitute nearly two-thirds of Indonesia's territory, with a coastline spanning 99,093 kilometers. Hanggono believes that marine and fisheries resources and the ecosystem hold huge potential.

According to Hanggono, this short story film was intentionally made in the drama-documentary format, with the key message being boosting awareness of the importance of coastal and marine ecosystems for the community. The sea is the source of life, while the ecosystem is the core of everything that should be maintained for sustainability.

"On the other hand, the management of coastal resources has not offered significant benefits for the welfare of the surrounding community, while their very existence is increasingly at risk. This vulnerability is portrayed through the short story film titled 'Akulah Samudera' (I am the ocean)," he stated.

In the meantime, after watching this short film, KKP Marine Services Director Miftahul Huda believes it would be a source of inspiration to others.

Huda opined that the Mangrove Sari marine tourism village program would help to better improve the condition of coastal areas and the community.

The film is produced by Dexandra Bayu and Kirana Kejora and directed by Ara Dwi Sagara. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo (right) accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (second right), Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko (center), Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo (left), and Central Kalimantan Governor Sugianto Sabran (3rd right) visit the location of planned food estate in Pulang Pisau District, Central Kalimantan, on Thursday (July 9, 2020). (ANTARA PHOTO/Makna Zaezar/aww/sh)

Indonesian Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo affirmed that the development of a food estate envisioned in Central Kalimantan will apply modern technology in farming.

At a meeting to discuss agricultural development here on Monday, Limpo remarked that the national food barn development project outside Java Island had become one of the ministry's programs to increase the availability of food in the country.

"Food estate development, especially in Central Kalimantan, is aimed at increasing food production by capitalizing on integrated agricultural modernization," he emphasized.

The minister remarked that an integrated process will be applied, right from the production to post-harvesting phase, on 165 thousand hectares of food estate, thereby necessitating the use of modern technology as well as the presence of a skilled workforce.

In addition to the food estate in Central Kalimantan, the government is developing an estate for horticultural crops in Humbang Hasundutan District in North Sumatra.

"The agriculture ministry is also developing a food estate for horticultural crops in Humbang Hasundutan District and one thousand villages for cow farms," the minister stated.

Humbang Hasundutan District, situated 1,400 meters above sea level, has a climate conducive for cultivating potatoes and onions.

The government has formulated a program to boost production capacity, local food diversification, development of a food reserves system, modern agriculture, and exports.

With food security being the prime focus, the government has been working on its food estate program by developing 165 thousand hectares of land into farmland in Pulang Pisau District, Central Kalimantan Province.

The central government is sentient of the importance of boosting the nation's food security amid this ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.  (ANTARA)

Motor vessel Kelud. PELNI will conduct a virtual tour of the vessel via the Zoom platform from 9 a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2020

Indonesian State-owned maritime shipping and logistics enterprise PELNI has opened registrations for a virtual educational tour of its motor vessel, Kelud, as part of a series of programs for the new normal, dubbed ‘PELNI Lifestyle’.

“We need to be prepared for the new normal life, and this virtual tour event is a part of ‘PELNI Lifestyle’ to let people feel the sensation of exploring our vessel,” head of corporate secretary at PELNI, Yahya Kuncoro, said in a statement issued on Monday.

The tour will be conducted virtually via the Zoom platform from 9 a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2020. During the tour, participants will get to take a closer look at Kelud's rooms and facilities as well as interact with the ship’s captain.

Information will also be provided about PELNI’s health protocols for the new normal era and exclusive services and facilities offered on board its vessels.

“This virtual tour will give such an experience to participants to look around PELNI's vessel while #dirumahaja (staying home), and it might be an impressive one,” Kuncoro noted, adding that virtual tours will be offered for other motor vessels later.

“We are planning another tour with a different atmosphere as (it will offer people a view) of our livestock carrier, so people can understand how livestock are shipped using PELNI’s vessels,” he continued.

Registrations for the virtual tour of Kelud can be made on the website, https://bit.ly/IkutVirtualTour. The tour is priced at Rp30,000 (US$2) per participant.  (ANTARA)