Nusantara Food Estate supports new capital in Indonesia

Palu, C Sulawesi, October 4 (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin on Wednesday inaugurated the Nusantara Food Estate (KPN) in Talaga Village, Donggala District, Central Sulawesi, to support food security in the new capital city Nusantara (IKN).

"I welcome the designation of Central Sulawesi as the Nusantara Food Estate," he stated during the inauguration ceremony.

Amin remarked that the construction of IKN in East Kalimantan was still ongoing.

The capital city development is expected to boost the province's population, thereby increasing food demand ultimately, he stated.

On the occasion, the vice president planted a durian tree.

He expressed hope that the 1,124-hectare food estate, built as an integrated area, would support food resilience in the new capital city.

KPN is also expected to support the agriculture, plantation, and livestock sectors while maintaining the needs of Central Sulawesi Province, Amin noted.

"KPN must be able to improve the people's economy in Central Sulawesi by strengthening food production centers, capacity, and capability of the food sector, bringing closer access to the capital and increasing the competitiveness of local products and institutions," he said.

Amin also called on all parties to intensify cooperation and synergy in supplying food to IKN.

However, he asserted that this should be done without ignoring legal and environmental rules as well as the provincial, district and city spatial planning.

"It is also necessary to build infrastructure that supports food distribution to IKN," he stated.

Amin expressed hope that the development and management of KPN would involve local communities, including farmer groups and farmer corporations.