DEN Delivers Policy Recommendations to Anticipate El Niño, Strengthen Food Security, Resolve Forest, Land Fires

The National Economic Council (DEN), Tuesday (10/20), delivered strategic recommendations to the Government—aimed at anticipating El Niño and La Niña, strengthening food security, and resolving forest and land fires as well as their impact on public health—during a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

According to DEN Vice Chair Marie Elka Pangestu, the Government needs to prepare for the potential effects of extreme climate change. El Niño is forecast to last through the first quarter of 2027, followed by La Niña in mid-2027.

Marie pointed out that the Government must take measurable anticipatory actions by optimizing weather data and forecasts to identify regions at risk of droughts, floods, and other disasters.

“We recommended using data properly to identify sites that will experience droughts, where anticipatory measures must be taken by preparing pumps, using appropriate pumps, and determining [crop] planting time—which may have to be delayed due to, for example, droughts. Floods and potential disaster impacts must also be anticipated,” she said in a press statement following the meeting.

DEN also underscored the importance of maintaining price stability and nationwide food availability, urging the Government to ensure an adequate food supply, especially rice, and strengthen distribution to mitigate risks of supply chain disruption.

“As for food, it is imperative to maintain food prices and food availability by maintaining food reserves, especially rice,” she said.

Marie also pointed out that DEN recommended the Government prepare market intervention measures in case of food price volatility, given that El Niño is often followed by rising food prices due to disruptions in agricultural production.

“To distribute [commodities] appropriately and conduct market operations when needed, considering that almost all El Niño precedents come with soaring food prices. We must strongly anticipate it,” she said.

On that occasion, DEN also discussed impacts of the haze on public health in Sumatra and Kalimantan regions, measures to manage forest fires and peatland irrigation efforts with the President.

“We also gave advice to provide healthcare services in areas most severely affected [by the haze], namely in three provinces on Kalimantan [island], South Sulawesi [province], Jambi [province], and Riau [province],” Marie said, adding that extra measures to protect the health of the six provinces’ residents must be taken.

“Those six provinces are highly impacted by the haze of forest fires. The Government must also provide healthcare services, especially for the residents [in these areas], including providing masks,” she remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (DH/MMB)