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Govt halts big infrastructure in trade-off for food security: Minister
Funding for new infrastructure is currently frozen at the directive of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, pending coordination among ministries under the leadership of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).
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Aerial photo of Tami Dam in Koya Irrigation area, Jayapura Regency, Papua in November 2017. (Antara/M Agung Rajasa)
T
he government is set to put large-scale infrastructure projects on hold as it seeks a trade-off to prioritize more urgent needs in food, energy and water security, all of which are pillars of President Prabowo Subianto’s agenda, Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo has said.
“Major projects like building dams will be paused for now,” Dody said on Monday, as quoted from Bisnis.com.
“What we already have today, we’ll optimize to 110 percent to support food, energy and water security,” he added.
The budget shift aligns with Prabowo’s priority in the so-called “quick win” initiatives, and existing resources will instead be channeled to programs supporting agriculture, energy and water security, such as revitalizing existing dams and irrigation systems to bolster food production.
The government targets having 259 operational dams by 2025, according to the ministry, a figure deemed sufficient to secure the nation’s food supply.
Funding for new infrastructure is currently frozen at the directive of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Dody further said, pending coordination among ministries under the leadership of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).
“Without a clear, unified plan led by Bappenas, we can’t move forward,” he said.
