The National Food Agency (NFA) encourages the strengthening of market connectivity in order to support food strengthening. "The upstream to downstream ecosystems must be well connected. This requires support from all parties. The existence of a market is very important in the process of distributing food from producers to the community as consumers," said Head of the National Food Agency, Arief Prasetyo Adi in a written statement received in Jakarta, Monday. Arief also added that traditional market traders who are members of the Indonesian Market Traders Association (Ikappi) can implement a cold chain system so that the shelf life of food commodities can be maintained. "Food connectivity is important in maintaining food security, through the synergy of the food ecosystem, food can be available at any time in all regions, consumers get relatively stable prices, and farmers, ranchers and fishermen get market certainty from the products they produce," said Arief.

As an effort to maintain Indonesia's food security, the National Food Agency invites food stakeholders to improve connectivity between upstream and downstream, starting from production, distribution to consumption. Ahead of National Religious Holidays (HBKN) such as Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, climate change in 2022 will make food a concern for all parties. "We have prepared schemes and policies for food strengthening, by strengthening upstream and increasing the absorption of farmers, farmers downstream as an optimization of domestic food absorption to meet community needs," he said. Arief further said that in realizing food connectivity, the state needs to have stock, and this stock can be connected to the market, later it will be supported by Food SOEs such as assignments to Bulog and ID Food food holdings and collaboration with ministries and institutions. Meanwhile, the General Chair of IKappi Abdullah Mansuri expressed his readiness to cooperate with the NFA in improving the food trade system. “We will improve national food together with the NFA and related institutions. We certainly don't want us in the market to face food problems every year," said Abdullah Mansuri.

Source: https://m.antaranews.com/berita/2799549/badan-pangan-nasional-dorong-penguatan-konektivitas-pasar