Prabowo Reaffirms Focus on Food Security, Energy and Poverty - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stated that the government remains focused on resolving fundamental issues that underpin Indonesia's strength and self-reliance, ranging from food and energy security to poverty alleviation and job creation. The Head of State conveyed this during the "President Prabowo Answers" program, as released by the Government Communication Agency in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Prabowo explained that food security is a top government priority to ensure the public's basic needs are met. "For me, the most fundamental thing is securing the food supply. After that, we must secure fuel supplies," said Prabowo, as quoted by Antara.
Regarding the anticipation of national energy needs, Prabowo noted that efforts are being made through the development of palm oil-based biofuels—including 50 percent biodiesel (B50)—and large-scale solar energy development. Beyond food and energy, Prabowo emphasized that the government is paying serious attention to issues such as child hunger, stunting, and both absolute and extreme poverty.
"For me, the issues we must immediately address are child hunger, stunting, and absolute or extreme poverty," he emphasized.
According to Prabowo, these efforts go hand-in-hand with an agenda of budget efficiency and safeguarding state funds against various forms of leakage. The government is directing available resources toward investments in productive sectors capable of generating foreign exchange and creating jobs.
In the economic sector, the government is also promoting downstreaming to boost the domestic value-added of natural resources. Prabowo noted that the government has initiated several downstreaming projects expected to strengthen national industries while simultaneously creating more employment opportunities.
Efforts to strengthen the community economy are also being pursued through the development of "Merah Putih" (Red and White) Village Cooperatives and "Merah Putih" Fishing Villages. These programs aim to strengthen supply chains down to the village level, increase community income, and reduce logistics costs.
Furthermore, Prabowo asserted that integrating fishing villages with "Merah Putih" Village Cooperatives would provide market certainty for fishermen's catches while supporting the community's protein needs. "So, they won't have to worry about where to sell their catch. The calculations are clear: their livelihoods will improve."
Meanwhile, in the education sector, the government continues to implement various interventions to enhance the quality of human resources, including the digitalization of learning, school renovations, and the improvement of teacher competencies. Prabowo emphasized that all these measures are part of an effort to strengthen Indonesia's foundation so it can face future challenges. "We want everything to move faster, but God willing, we will succeed in achieving our goals," he said.
