RRI.CO.Id, Lampung - As part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia's national food security and self-sufficiency, the country's Vice President (VP), Gibran Rakabuming Raka, inspected a cassava farming center and held a dialogue with representatives of the Farmers' Group Association (Gapoktan) in Muara Jaya Village, East Lampung Regency, Lampung, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Indonesia's Vice Presidential Secretariat said the visit marked a "concrete step" by the government to gather farmers' input and formulate policies that favor strengthening the cassava commodity, from production to trade.

The dialogue was attended by representatives from 33 farmer groups with over 600 members. On that occasion, the Vice President emphasized that the government continues to accelerate the food self-sufficiency agenda, as directed by President Prabowo Subianto, by improving various fundamental aspects of the agricultural sector.

"The President's orders are clear, ladies and gentlemen, regarding food self-sufficiency. Issues such as fertilizer, irrigation, post-harvest processing, and pricing have all yielded significant results in rice," Gibran said.

According to him, the success of strengthening rice production requires equal attention to other strategic food commodities, including cassava. Therefore, the government is taking direct action in the field to identify the various challenges still facing farmers.

"Today I'm in Lampung specifically to check on cassava, as this commodity still faces many dynamics and challenges," the Vice President said.

Furthermore, Gibran ensured that all the aspirations conveyed would be immediately discussed with relevant ministries and institutions. He stated that resolving the highest retail price issues, standardizing measuring instruments, and determining the cassava content would be crucial factors in creating a fairer cassava trade system and providing price certainty for farmers.

"The highest retail price issue will be discussed soon with our leadership. Then, standardization of measuring instruments and starch content will be discussed. Once those three things are in place, I'm confident prices will stabilize, no longer fluctuate, and welfare will improve," he said.

The Vice President's presence was welcomed positively by farmers, says the secretariat. They hoped that the government's attention to cassava commodities would continue through policies that could increase their productivity and welfare.

"Thank you for your presence, Mr. Vice President, from all the residents of East Lampung. It is certainly an honor for us, as we strive to further improve agricultural cultivation," Joko, a representative of the Farmers' Group Association, said.