Maintaining Food Security During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Key Messages:

• In addition to causing health-related issues, the Covid-19 pandemic has had various social and economic consequences, including in the agriculture sector.
• It is an undeniable fact that adequate supply determines the stability of staple food prices. The government needs to secure the supply of staple food which is playing a vital role during the pandemic.
• Stimulus for the agriculture sector is needed to maintain socio-economic security and speed up economic recovery.
• The government can intervene on agricultural inputs which make a relatively substantial contribution to production–such as fertilizers, high-quality seeds, and pesticides. Another intervention that may be done is the provision of an unsecured loan program for farmers by empowering Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes).
• The government needs to ensure stimulus programs are well-executed and implement a contract system with farmers to assure cultivation priorities in the next planting season, with a commitment to purchase crops that have been cultivated in the next harvesting season.