InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko from Perkumpulan Indonesia Berseru said that even though food security is always taken as the priority, the government might not solve food crisis seriously.
“The government does not seriously solve food security yet. Food issues are not small issue. The areas get narrower, the population gets increase, the productivity got increased in small numbers. We always discuss about food security but depend on imports. We depend on food system globally. In fact, food system manages hunger and dependence in the world,” he said, as in the official statement InfoSAWIT, Sunday (19/5/2024).
That is why Tejo proposed to get food transformation and took the people to maintain food stability by wisely having food consumption system.
Meanwhile, the study results by Sawit Watch written in a book "Gula-gula Sawit di Pulau Jawa (Harapan Manis Berbuah Tangis?)", found that (many) national – scale policy, Java Island was not designed (to develop) palm oil industries but should be focus more to other commodities, such as, sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, and coconut. Palm oil in Java Island, including Banten Province, is not the superior commodity but it is interesting one for its successful development in Sumatera and Kalimantan. Palm oil (plantations) also delivered issues, such as, area conflicts, environment, and postpone of payment for smallholders.
Executive Director of Sawit Watch, Achmad Surambo said that it should review palm oil development in Java Island. “Palm oil is taken as strategic commodity in national scale but it needs to be reconsidered as strategic commodity in the regions, particularly in Java Island,” he said.
Sawit Watch did recommend some things to solve the issue, such as, the first, it needs to review palm oil development in Java Island. The second, it needs to separate the regions to develop food and plantation commodities to protect food areas.
The third, it is important to get regional scale – regulations to protect sustainable food agricultural areas to maintain sources of food from the threat of land use – change. The fourth, it needs to propose social forestry through termination period within agroforestry or reforestation process to take advantages on ‘too late’ areas in forest regions.
The fifth, there should be no new palm oil planting in conservation areas, such as, coast, or down areas of mountains that have forest canopy. The sixth, it needs to supervise new palm oil plantations/land use – change to be palm oil in order not to get new issues.
By the approaches, it is hoped that Java would maintain its roles as food barn nationally and avoid issues that may happen from uncontrolled palm oil development. (T2)
