Need Food Production Defended

Minister of Agriculture Suswono said food production should be increased and maintained for many different countries are currently experiencing kemorosotan food production, but Indonesia still produces 2.46 percent increase in production.

"God willing, there will be early March while the number of how many of our food production," said Suswono during a working visit in the village of Tambakbaya, District Cibadak, Lebak District, Banten Province, on Friday.

Suswono say, in the midst of many countries experiencing kemorosotan production, so many countries that had been as an exporter of food products, but now began to hold back even reduce exports.

And, the future is not impossible also would stop the export of food products.

Therefore, he said, was reminded by the World Food Organization (FAO) for each country should strengthen their food security.

For if a country is not strong food security ensured food prices soar and many countries are pemerintahanya fall due to food issues.

He cited, Tunisia and Egypt, countries that are now hit by a wave of action demonstrations to topple the government of President Hosni Mubarok.

"That is a lesson for us and we have to provide food from their own country," he said.

According to him, the definition of food security there are three that must be met, which include availability, accessible and sustainable.

Food availability both domestic production and imported if in an emergency.

However dangerous if countries bring food from imports, such as country of Brunei Darussalam is about 80 percent of food production comes from imports.

Therefore, every year the government continued to increase food production to meet food security.

The government target of food production by 2011 as many as 38 million tons of rice, so expect the district and provincial governments can contribute to national food security.

Touched on rice imports, he said, the government bring in only 2 percent of imported rice and not worry for food production in Indonesia.

"We bring imported rice in a state of emergency since 2010, which made the absorption of rice Bulog only 50 percent," he said.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Lebak H Mulyadi Jayabaya said, food production surpluses since 2010 Lebak can produce as much as 578,000 tons of rice, whereas the consumption needs of the people of Lebak, amounting to 1.2 million people only 286 000 tons.

Increased food production, he said, local governments encourage farmers to use a balanced fertilizer between organic and chemical fertilizers.

"I think the first harvest in the village Tambakbaya resulted in the production of nine tons of dried grain collected by using semi-organic fertilizer of compost and urea," he said.