JAKARTA: Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar (pic) has expressed support for the cultivation of sago to diversify the domestic food supply and strengthen national food security.
“The cultivation of sago is important to provide alternative food sources to realize Indonesia’s food security and sovereignty,” he said in a statement .
According to Law Number 18/2012 concerning Food, food security refers to the sustainable availability of sufficient, safe, diverse, nutritious, equitable, and affordable food, both in terms of quantity and quality, he noted.
Hence, food security is one of the important indicators of the 2020–2024 Medium-Term National Development Plan (RPJMN).
Food security is not only measured by the availability of rice, but also by the availability of other food sources, he said.
Hence, food diversification will help the government meet national food demand, he added.
For achieving that goal, village fund assistance disbursed by the Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Ministry can be utilized to develop agricultural, plantation, forestry, livestock and fishery activities, as well as village food barns, the minister said.
The utilization of the assistance for food security programs will also expedite the achievement of the Village Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the second goal of villages without hunger, he added.
Meanwhile, Director General for the Acceleration of Development of Disadvantaged Regions at the ministry Eko Sri Haryanto said that sago has a high nutritional value, therefore, it should be promoted as a national staple food to strengthen national food security.
Furthermore, there are a number of traditionally processed sago culinary products, such as laupek sage (from Aceh), bagea (Maluku and South Sulawesi), papeda (Papua), kapurung (Sulawesi), as well as pogalu (South Sulawesi), he noted.
In addition, there are several modern processed sago products, for instance, sago noodles, sago vermicelli, and sago meatballs, he added.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.