Bali, which can be called as the epitome of tourism, still finds it difficult to provide adequate food for its impoverished citizens, reports The Jakarta Post.
Governor Made Mangku Pastika revealed on World Food Day that Bali still had 180,862 poor households who have restrained access to food and are facing severe problems that are enhanced due to the dearth of food.
"These conditions have forced us to work harder to solve the food problems affecting thousands of vulnerable people in Bali," The Jakarta Post quoted Pastika as saying.
According to the governor, Bali has never had problems with food supply, but he asserted that there are a lot of people enduring effects due to shortage of food. "Many of our people are still suffering from a lack of food and have poor nutrition," he said.
There are a lot of food programs that have been organized by the government especially for the locals. Simantri integrated farming program aims at supplying carbohydrate-rich food for poorer classes.
The governor also stated that food accessibility should be prudently handled. Other than the staple rice, people should be availed with corn, sweet potatoes, yellow pumpkins and cassava, he suggested.
Made Gianyar, Bangli Regent I, believes that insufficient land for farming is the main reason for food shortage. Out of 36,370 hectares of farming land in Bangli, only 2,910 hectares of land is fit for producing rice. "Every year, we produce less rice than is required. Diversifying food staples is the best solution to increase food production," the regent told The Jakarta Post.
According to the report, Bali faces a huge shortage of 8,686 tons. It annually produces 20,962 tons and the demand for rice is 29,648 tons. So, 8,686 tons of rice is obtained from other regions. "The procurement of rice from outside Bangli requires a proper distribution and management system to prevent price increases," Gianyar explained.
However, Bangli produces a lot of non-rice staple food. According to The Jakarta Post report, the regency in 2011 harvested 21,199 tons of non-rice staple foods.
It is unfortunate to note that farmlands have been converted to tourism, business or residential complexes.
