Jakarta, July 14 -- Transmigration Minister Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara stated that developing superior commodities tailored to regional potential can strengthen national food self-sufficiency while improving farmers' welfare.

"The President's directive is very clear, which is to achieve food self-sufficiency. Rice certainly remains the main commodity, but Indonesia also possesses many other food commodities to strengthen national food security," Suryanagara noted in a statement received here on Tuesday.

The minister made the statement while inspecting the Edo Farm banana demonstration plot in Sentul, Bogor District, West Java, as an example of developing a high-value banana commodity.

According to him, efforts to achieve foo...