Study discovers food problem in remote islands

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 12/13/2006 1:44 PM

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government was urged on Tuesday to review its food security program in small and remote islands after a study found it ineffective.

The study, conducted by non-profit organization BioTani in Banten, Jakarta, the Riau Islands, East Java, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi, found that people living in small and remote islands still faced food shortages.

""On the main islands, the program has been working well, but on small and remote islands, the program does not work. We found most respondents were still prone to experiencing food scarcities,"" BioTani executive director Riza. V. Tjahyadi said.

According to the study, 55 percent of the 339 people interviewed said they had eaten fewer than two meals a day once, while 46 percent said they experienced it two or three times a month.

""Twenty percent of the respondents said they once had not eaten at all,"" Riza said.

Poverty and weak purchasing power are the main causes of the problem. Most small island inhabitants work as fishermen, who were heavily hit by the government's fuel price increases.

BioTani recommended that the government conduct a study on the characteristics of food security conditions in small islands, where isolation and the inaccessibility of food remained problems that needed a quick solution.

The government's Desa Mandir Pangan, or Food Sufficient Village, program is meant to address food insecurity throughout the country.

The program covers 122 regencies and involves 85,000 families. Each village is granted Rp 80 million (US$8,888) in order for local communities to find ways of upgrading their living standards.

""The fund is only to induce the people. The local administrations are also required to allocate 20 percent of their region budgets to support the program,"" said Agriculture Ministry food security body secretary Hermanto.

When asked about the BioTani report, Hermanto said the ministry had inspected the program's implementation in several provinces and found that the results of the program varied depending on regional characteristics.

""The program has only been underway for a year. We have yet to see the (final) result,"" he told Antara, adding that its success depended on the support and commitment of local administrations.

However, he added that he was unsure how well the program was working in small and remote islands, given their lack of basic infrastructure.

""It is a question we have to answer,"" he said.

BioTani's study was conducted in Buluh Batam Island in Riau Islands, Tunda Serang Island in Banten, Tidung Island in Jakarta, Sapudi Island in East Java, Balang Lompo and Kararang Islands in South Sulawesi and Talaga Island, Makassar Island, Kabena Island in Southeast Sulawesi.

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