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| Photo: BPMI Presidential Secretariat |
Star News INDONESIA, Friday, (24 November 2023). JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo emphasized that the development of the fertilizer industry in the Papua region is part of Indonesia's strategy to uphold food sovereignty. This was conveyed by the President in his remarks during the groundbreaking of the National Strategic Project (PSN) for the Fakfak Pupuk Industrial Area in Fakfak Regency, West Papua Province, on Thursday, November 23 2023.
"We have a population of almost 280 million, therefore we have to be independent, we have to be independent, we have to be truly sovereign in terms of food," said the President in his speech.
Food sovereignty must be achieved so that Indonesia can be independent in meeting domestic food needs and not depend on other countries. The Head of State gave an example, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has disrupted the fulfillment of Indonesia's food needs.
“I was also surprised, what do we take from there? It turns out that 30 percent of our wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine, fortunately we get supplies from other countries. "This is what we have to think about in the future," he said.
“In this process, fertilizer has a very important role. "I often complain about this when I go to the village, to the rice fields, which fertilizer farmers complain about - the scarcity of fertilizer, this is something we have to resolve immediately," he said.
“Dalam proses tersebut, pupuk memiliki peran yang sangat penting. Sering ini dikeluhkan kalau saya ke desa, ke sawah, yang dikeluhkan oleh para petani pupuk—kelangkaan pupuk, ini yang harus kita segera selesaikan,” tuturnya.
In his statement to the media crew after the groundbreaking, President Jokowi explained that food matters are not only about meeting the need for rice, but also about increasing the productivity of the crops planted.
"Therefore, this is a very important part because fertilizer will increase the productivity of the plants we plant, be it rice, be it sugar cane, be it corn, all of them need fertilizer," he said.
Regarding the need for human resources (HR) in the Papua region to support the fertilizer industry, the President considers it necessary to adjust the supply of human resources to suit industry needs and field needs.
"I think this is a good opportunity for young human resources in Papua to take part in building their own fertilizer industry," he said.
Source: Presidenri.go.id
Author: Wiwid
Editor: Fajar Ali