Jakarta, April 15 -- Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi ensured that local farmers would remain protected despite President Prabowo Subianto's plan to lift import quotas.

Adi explained that imports would focus on food commodities with insufficient domestic stocks.

"The commodities that will be imported are only those that are insufficient. For example, the local meat production cannot meet all of our needs," he noted here on Tuesday.

The agency head emphasized that President Prabowo's directive regarding import quotas aims to expand opportunities for local importers.

According to the Food Balance Projection data processed by Bapanas, there remains a shortage of ruminant meat, such as beef and buffalo, to mee...