Jakarta. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has just awarded President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo the Agricola Medal, which recognizes the Indonesian leader’s support for attaining global food security.

FAO’s Director-General Qu Dongyu gave Jokowi his medal at Jakarta’s State Palace on Monday.

According to Jokowi, the Indonesian government has considered food security as a priority.

“Indonesia is aware of how important food sovereignty and self-sufficiency is. Food is a basic need, and it is something that we shall not ignore," Jokowi said.

Jokowi also thanked everyone who had helped contribute to the Indonesian agricultural sector, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The president added: “Our agricultural sector was able to grow 1.7 percent during the pandemic, even making up 12.5 percent of Indonesia’s gross domestic product [GDP] last year. This is all thanks to everyone’s role in helping us achieve food self-sufficiency.”

“I dedicate this Agricola medal to all farmers and everyone who has actively contributed to the agricultural sector,” Jokowi said.

Agricultural Minister Amran Sulaiman told the press that the medal marked a major milestone for Indonesia as the country had not imported medium-grade rice for years.

“This is a new history for Indonesia. … We were able to achieve perfect food self-sufficiency as we did not import any medium-grade rice in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021,” Amran said.