Jakarta – Indonesia is a leading country in food security in the ASEAN region, Head of the National Food Agency (NFA) Arief Prasetyo Adi said at the ASEAN Business & Investment Summit (ABIS) here on Sunday.

“We can be relied upon for the food sector in the ASEAN region,” Adi said.

He said Indonesia has raised several issues that become concerns at the regional level, for instance, food security.

The ABIS is a sideline event of Indonesia’s 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship’s ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) and is currently hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on September 3-4, 2023.

To achieve the goal of food security, ASEAN-BAC this year created a single narrative that includes commodity profiling, commodity balance sheet, key success factors and roadmap, and key policies to address food security.

In this regard, the Indonesian Government has allocated Rp108.8 trillion (US$7.1 billion) in the 2024 State Budget Draft (RAPBN).

Some Rp89.6 trillion (US$5.8 billion) is for the central government’s spending, and the rest Rp19.2 trillion (US$1.3 billion) is for regional governments.

Adi explained, apart from the Ministry of Agriculture, other ministries are also involved in food security efforts, in terms of infrastructure, social and food assistance, food reserves, to cheap interests for funding.

“It (budget for food security) has been prepared, just (waiting for) execution,” he said.

In addition, he believed that Indonesia has more abundant food commodities compared to other ASEAN countries.

He mentioned that Indonesia together with Vietnam and Thailand have agreed to strengthen regional food cooperation, with Myanmar likely to participate in the regional food cooperation soon.

However, among these countries, he said, Indonesia has better food commodities.

“Food in Thailand and Vietnam is surplus, but their productions are still below ours. Indonesia has entered the top four, along with China, India, and Bangladesh,” he said.

Food security was also one of the issues discussed at the 10th Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (AFMGM).

ASEAN finance ministers and central bank governors have expressed their commitment to strengthening fiscal collaboration to boost the region’s food security.