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Moeldoko to ensure food supply ahead of Idul Adha amid COVID-19 Pandemic

JAKARTA – The government has stated their commitment to ensure an adequate supply of food ahead of the celebration of Idul Adha (Islamic Day of Sacrifice), which will fall on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. This year’s Idul Adha also falls within the 17 days’ period of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) which have been in place across Java and Bali since July 3rd.

“I came here to ensure that there won’t be any problem regarding the food supplies ahead of Idul Adha amid the implementation of PPKM,” the Chief of Staff Moeldoko said during his visit to the launching event of the Indonesian Map of Agricultural Commodities Exports (IMACE) at the office of the Agriculture Ministry in Jakarta on Thursday (1/7).

“The agriculture industry must be especially appreciated. While other sectors have collapsed due to the pandemic fallout, the agriculture sector remains resilient,” he added.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, the agricultural sector managed to grow 2,95 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the first five months of 2021. The agricultural export also showed a significant growth at 13,39 percent during the same period. It values up to US$1,62 billion, slightly higher than last year’s US$1,42 billion. Moeldoko also hailed and lauded the Indonesian IMACE, the latest digital platform initiated by the Ministry, for providing accessible and transparent public information on the agricultural sector.

According to the ministry, IMACE is a platform that is made to provide real time information regarding to Indonesian agricultural exports, trade regulation, and export trends of the last few years in accordance with the Agricultural Quarantine Agency’s certification. In addition, IMACE also maps out commodities with export potentials. These data will be used as an input to support community empowerment and direct assistance for 1,129 villages nationwide

Available in a web-based app and an android app, the platform is aimed to provide convenience for multi-layer users. It is expected to become a reference for the country’s export development in the future.

“The outstanding quality of a commander lies in his ability to command, to control and to monitor. Thus, I can say that the initiative [IMACE] comes from the mind of a commander,” Chief of Staff Moeldoko said on Thursday (1/7), praising the Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

Moeldoko went on to say that the ministry had worked to respond and to solve the actual problems on the field. IMACE is a manifestation that embodies the government effort to bridge the needs for both consumers and producers. “There are many examples of farmers producing high quality agricultural products but are unable to sell or to make a profit from it. There are also traders who look for the products but are unable to find one. Thus, IMACE is expected to connect the producers and the consumers in the market,” Moeldoko added.
According to the ministry data, IMACE has contributed to a significant increase of agricultural exports in 2020, which recorded Rp 60,7 trillion (US$ 4 billion) or a 15,2 percent surge in comparison to last year’s export. The platform also attracted 1,300 new exporters and 98 new export commodities, as well as encouraging 1,129 villages for three times exports movement (GRATIEKS).