TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govt to focus on food and infrastructure, says Jokowi
âSpeed it up!: President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo has said the government will focus its work on agriculture and infrastructure improvements, which have been highlighted in the economic policy package he announced at the State Palace in Jakarta on Sept
Change Size
âSpeed it up!: President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo has said the government will focus its work on agriculture and infrastructure improvements, which have been highlighted in the economic policy package he announced at the State Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 9.(setkab.go.id) (setkab.go.id)
'Speed it up!: President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has said the government will focus its work on agriculture and infrastructure improvements, which have been highlighted in the economic policy package he announced at the State Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 9.(setkab.go.id)
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has asserted that the government is focusing its attention on improvements to infrastructure and the agriculture industry.
'Our concentration in the near future is to tackle food problems. Improving infrastructure, such as the trans-Sumatra toll roads, will be our next priority,' said the President when he met with Indonesian citizens living in Qatar at the official residence of the Indonesian ambassador for Qatar in Doha on Monday.
Jokowi said that currently Indonesia's main challenge was in the economic field because it still had a heavy dependence on imported goods. That was why the weakening rupiah had become such a major issue.
'Actually, we have the potential to deal with the problem [of Indonesia's heavy dependence on imported goods]. If it could be resolved, then the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate would not impose any problems,' said Jokowi at the event, which was attended by around 500 Indonesian citizens currently working in Qatar.
The President further said the government wanted to transfer the current pattern of food development from consumption to production activities.
'It takes time, however. I have instructed the agriculture minister to secure available supplies of rice, soya and corn within three years, followed by sugar in five years and beef for more than five years,' said Jokowi.
While admitting it was quite a large task, Jokowi said such a transformation needed to be done so that Indonesia could achieve food sovereignty.
The President further said infrastructure development must be carried out immediately. 'The development of the trans-Sumatra toll roads, for example, needs to be done quickly. If we don't do it immediately and continue to delay construction, we will face greater problems because component prices will be much higher. As the result, land clearing will be very costly,' said Jokowi.
He further explained that the railway construction project in Sulawesi would be started at the end of September, while in Papua, the railway construction project would begin next year. 'Like it or not, we have to start working today. Only with focused work, can we get obvious results,' said Jokowi. (edn/ebf)(++++)
