World food crisis could be an opportunity for Indonesia to build food barn: Jokowi

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) reminded that the world food crisis that has arisen due to geopolitical situations could be an opportunity for Indonesia to build a food barn.

Jokowi noted that the challenge of the world food crisis may, in fact, drive Indonesians, including the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), to conduct major innovations in addressing this problem.

“With the existing challenges, we need massive innovation or a breakthrough for the future. We can turn the world food problem into an opportunity for Indonesia to become a food barn,” Jokowi remarked at the 60th Anniversary of IPB in Bogor, West Java, on Friday.

Apart from overcoming the current world crisis, the president noted that food barns can also help to improve farmers’ and fishermen’s welfare.

The president underscored the need for extraordinary innovation to build the food ecosystem. Hence, he urged IPB to help regulate innovation for food security.

Currently, the national average rice productivity reaches 5.9 tons per hectare. Through the innovation developed by IPB, Jokowi expressed hope that the productivity would increase to 10-12 tons per hectare.

“It cannot be called innovation if the idea is not out of the box. It is not an innovation if it is possible. (It is) because innovation should not come from ordinary things,” he remarked.

Hence, the head of state welcomed the expansion of IPB’s scientific disciplines to develop the food ecosystem, advanced technological interventions, artificial intelligence, and robotic systems.

On the same occasion, IPB Rector Professor Arif Satria stated that IPB had set five big agendas that include leading Indonesia’s food innovation and economy transformation through agro-maritime industrialization 4.0 and increasing the role of “trendsetter” from “national leader” to “global south leader” in the field of inclusive and sustainable agro-maritime.