National Food Policy: Domestic vs. Imported Food Procurement
Indonesia is currently facing food problems. The gap between the need for food and procurement of national food may spark a public uproar especially a debate on whether food procurement should be fulfilled from domestic or import sources. Actually, the more basic problem is to what extent Indonesia can calculate its need for food accurately and use an accurate strategy to ensure procurement of national food.
BPK places a significant attention to such national problems, which is in congruent with BPK’s vision of boosting management of state finance in order to achieve the State purpose through quality and beneficial audits. This vision is reached by increasing the benefit of the audit results to achieve the objective of the state among others to realize the welfare of Indonesian people. BPK has conducted performance audit on the food policy and its implementation, including performance audit on procurement and distribution of fertilizers. The result of such audit indicates problems in the procurement of food and fertilizer in Indonesia.
BPK takes the initiative to hold a meeting to discuss and seek solution for the issue of food procurement in Indonesia under the theme “National Food Policy: Domestic vs. Imported Food Procurement”. This meeting has the purpose to establish communication and positive dialogue with the stakeholders in order to get inputs and best solution for procurement of national food. This event was attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Trade, Chairman of HKTI, and Prof. Bastanul Arifin, as well as Heads of Regions that still experience food problem in their regions, and that have successfully implemented food procurement.
The meeting commenced with presentation of result of BPK audit by Member IV of BPK, continued with presentation on the National policy on food procurement by the Ministry of Agriculture in the context of meeting the short-term need and long-term need for food. The Minister of Trade is scheduled to present Policy of food import. The subsequent speaker is the Indonesian Farmers’ Association (HKTI) Chairman who will convey the aspiration of Indonesian farmers and consumers. The discussion will be more complete with responses from academician Prof. Dr. Bustanul Arifin and Head of Indonesian Statistics Bureau, BPS.
The event is to be organized on Tuesday, 21 June 2016 at 15.00 West Indonesia Time until finished, in the Auditorium of BPK RI, Floor 2 of BPK Tower Building, at Jalan Gatot Subroto No. 31 Jakarta.
Head of Public Relations and International Cooperation Bureau
R. Yudi Ramdan Budiman