Dian Kusumo Hapsari
IDXChannel - The Ministry of Industry is encouraging the development of sago for the diversification of carbohydrate food sources and the maintenance of national food security.
The ministry's director general of agro-industry, Putu Juli Ardika, said on Friday that sago is a local food product and an appropriate choice for diversification because it is resistant to climate and weather changes.
"Sago trees can continue to grow even during floods or drought due to the long dry seasons. Thus, sago trees are not affected by natural phenomena such as La Nina and El Nino," he explained.
According to him, sago has the potential to be developed as an alternative to the main national carbohydrate source considering that Indonesia currently has 5.5 million hectares of area under sago trees.
Because of this, the ministry is encouraging the development of sago downstream in the country, supported by efforts to increase the production of sago starch and diversification of products made from sago starch.
