REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was optimistic that Indonesia could take a role as a global food supplier in the future. Jokowi ensured because Indonesia has an advantage because the Indonesia’s regions passed the equator.

"The future of the world that is around the equator because of continuous sunlight will make the production of food and energy will remain abundant," he said during a speech in the opening of the National Conference (Munas) Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) in Hajj boarding, Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, on Friday, July 31.

He then mentioned the world food consumption data. World rice needs in a year, said Jokowi, was reaching 450 million tons. As for cassava was 240 million tons a year.

President considered Indonesia has a great opportunity to become a major supplier of the world's food. Because, there were millions of hectares of productive land in the country, which if it taken seriously could produce food in abundance.

In Merauke, said Jokowi, there were 4.6 million hectares of productive land that could be planted with rice. In one year, the land could produce 120 million tons of rice.

"That's just from one district," he said.

To realize the dream of becoming a major supplier of the world's food, Jokowi assessed that must build an integrated system, starting from land supply, seed, building dams, and irrigation, to prepare farmers who will work the land. If that was done, he was optimistic that food self-sufficiency soon achieved and Indonesia would become food exporter.

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