Jakarta. President-elect Prabowo Subianto aims for Indonesia to achieve food self-sufficiency within four years of taking office.

Speaking at the BNI Investor Daily Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center on Wednesday, the Great Indonesia Party (Gerindra) chairman emphasized the importance of reducing the nation's reliance on imports.

"Our survival as a nation depends on food sovereignty. A free nation must be able to produce and feed its people. We cannot continue to depend on imported food," Prabowo said.

According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia imported 854,000 tons of rice between January and May 2023. In the same period of 2024, rice imports surged to 2.2 million tons, with most of the rice coming from Thailand, followed by Vietnam, Pakistan, India, and Cambodia. Additionally, there were increases in other food imports, including a 35.31 percent rise in wheat, a 14.43 percent increase in wheat flour, and a 0.66 percent rise in sugar imports.

Prabowo expressed concerns about food security during global crises, pointing to the disruptions in exports from countries like India, Thailand, and Cambodia during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Prabowo, in times of crisis, exporting nations will prioritize their own people.

"We have no choice but to achieve food self-sufficiency, no later than four years after I take office," he said.

The president-elect also stressed the need for energy self-sufficiency, highlighting the current crisis in the Middle East and its potential impact on energy prices. He noted that escalating tensions between Israel and Iran could lead to retaliatory attacks on American allies in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, which could further destabilize the global energy market.

"These conflicts could severely affect our energy security," Prabowo warned.

He proposed boosting the country's biofuel production using palm oil and expanding coal gasification to produce LPG as key solutions to achieving energy sovereignty.

Prabowo also reiterated his commitment to continuing Indonesia's industrialization efforts, particularly in nickel, copper, bauxite, uranium, and thorium. He made it clear that Indonesia would push forward with downstream processing despite opposition from foreign parties over its raw material export ban.

Prabowo is set to be inaugurated as Indonesia’s president on Oct. 20, 2024.

Prabowo officially closed the BNI Investor Daily Summit 2024 on Wednesday. Also in attendance were B-Universe Chairman Enggartiasto Lukita and President Director of Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) Royke Tumilaar.

Several government officials were present at the closing ceremony, including Presidential Advisory Council Chairman Wiranto, Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Eddy Soeparno, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, Law and Human Rights Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, and Spatial Planning Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono.