New deputy minister pushes academic research for food self-sufficiency

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3 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The newly appointed Deputy Minister of Agriculture Alim Setiawan Slamet has called for the adoption of university research and innovation to support food self-sufficiency programs and boost agricultural downstream processing to create added value.

“Coming from an academic background, I naturally hope that university research and innovations can be implemented to help achieve food self-sufficiency and drive downstream processing,” he said following his swearing-in at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (Oct 15).

He noted universities hold a wide array of research findings and innovations with the potential to support the national agricultural sector, ranging from superior crop varieties to advanced farming technologies.

According to him, leveraging the research results is expected to support Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman in executing national strategic programs.

“There are so many innovations in higher education, starting from high-yielding varieties to various other innovations,” he said.

However, he said has not yet received specific directions or assignments regarding the division of tasks from the minister, noting he is still awaiting a meeting with Amran before setting his actionable steps and work priorities.

The deputy minister also expressed his gratitude to President Prabowo Subianto for trusting him with the appointment as deputy minister of agriculture.

Prior to his appointment, Salim served as rector of IPB University. He is currently undergoing a transition from his role at the agricultural university.

His appointment was made under Presidential Decree Number 42/M of 2026 on the Appointment of Deputy Ministers of the Red and White Cabinet for the 2024–2029 Period.

With Alim’s swearing-in, the Ministry of Agriculture now has two deputy ministers, following the earlier appointment of Muhammad Saleh Mustafa on October 1.