Image from Jakarta Post/ANN
JAKARTA (Bernama-Antara): Collaboration between the financial and agriculture sectors can support the improvement of food security in Asean, as stated in a statement released by the Indonesian Ministry of Finance on Friday, reported ANTARA.
"The financial sector provides resources, investment, and expertise necessary to support the development of agriculture," said Yogi Rahmayanti, Head of the Fiscal Policy Agency's Regional and Bilateral Policy Centre at the ministry.
She added that the agriculture sector ensures the production, distribution, and affordability of nutritious food for everyone.
To mitigate short-term crises and create medium- and long-term food system sustainability and productivity, she affirmed that collaboration is crucial in improving the availability and affordability of food.
"We are optimistic that by utilising the strength of cooperation between the financial and agriculture sectors, we can make progress in realising a world where food security is not just a goal, but a reality," she remarked.
Motivated by this goal, the ministry held a financial and agriculture joint forum to discuss the food security agenda in Yogyakarta on Thursday.
As part of the solution and effort to achieve the global commitment of a world free from starvation by 2030 (Sustainable Development Goal 2), Indonesia initiated cooperation between the financial and agriculture sectors under its 2023 chairmanship.
The forum titled "Asean Finance and Agriculture Joint Forum on Food Security" encompassed two parts.
The first part, titled "Understanding Asean Cooperation and the Asean Member States' Policies on Food Security," delved into the cooperation process and progress on food security discussions, as well as its development in the region under the agriculture sector.
The second part focused on the potential contribution of the financial sector to addressing the issue of food security in ASEAN.
During the second session, Indonesia presented a proposal on the financial sector's contribution to the food security agenda in ASEAN, including institutional regulation, cooperation with development partners, and the work plan.
Participating in this session were the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Bank, and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). - Bernama-Antara
