Jakarta, May 26 -- Deputy Agriculture Minister Sudaryono emphasized that the government continues to reduce food import dependency by increasing domestic production, strengthening agricultural productivity, and optimizing land to bolster national food security.

"In the past, our money was used to enrich other countries through imports. Now, the same money circulates among our own farmers. This is what drives the regional economy," Sudaryono said in a statement here on Tuesday.

He emphasized this during the National Conference on Regional Economic Development themed "Acceleration of Regional Economic Growth through Cross-Sectoral Policy Synergy."

Indonesia previously relied on food imports, especially rice, which reached around 3 millio...