Indonesia Ramps Up Grain Production to Improve Food Security
- Jokowi is pushing for higher output of corn, wheat substitutes
- Move comes as global prices of kitchen staples jump to records
Rice is the staple food in Indonesia and the country has long pushed for self-sufficiency to ensure stable supplies and prices for its 270 million people.
Photographer: Dimas Ardian/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Indonesia, a resource-rich country but also one of the world’s top importers of wheat and sugar, is boosting production of staple crops as the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine exposed risks in its food supply chain.
Already the biggest palm oil producer, the Southeast Asian nation is trying to increase output of corn and wheat substitutes like sorghum, sago and cassava. The move is fueled by worldwide labor shortages, soaring energy costs and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which propelled global food prices to records.