SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Indonesia’s President Susilo Yudhoyono has said that international statistics show a direct correlation between food production and climate change.
The president argued that the increase in climate change has had a “negative impact” on food security across the globe.
He said that all concerned parties “should assess” the consequences of this impact on the country’s food availability and security, Yudhoyono was quoted as saying by ANTARA news agency.
“Our biggest challenge is that climate change coupled with a long spell of drought could raise global food prices. We need to take steps to improve our food security and self-sufficiency,” the president said at a coordination meeting on agriculture and food security at the Ministry of Agriculture on Monday.
The president expressed his hope that Indonesia would be able to gain self-sufficiency in rice and reach its target of 10 million tons of rice surplus by 2014.
“We also want to achieve self-sufficiency in meat, maize, sugar and soybean,” he added.
The coordination meeting focused on the progress of the food program and agriculture in relation to the government’s action plan.—www.shafaqna.com/english
Source: Bikyamasr
