Indonesia calls for G20 joint ministerial forum to tackle food crisis

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Friday called for a joint forum involving G20 finance and agriculture ministries to come up with concrete action to tackle growing food insecurity and a looming fertilizer supply crisis.

Food insecurity is one of the top issues on the agenda at a G20 meeting of finance leaders in Bali, where host Indonesia has been trying to find common ground in a group rattled by the Ukraine war and rising economic pressures from soaring inflation.

Sri Mulyani said the world was facing alarming global hunger due to war, export restrictions and the lingering effect of the pandemic. The risk of a fertilizer supply crisis could exacerbate the food crisis even into 2023 and beyond, she said. Similar joint meetings were set up for finance and health ministries last year to address issues such as uneven Covid-19 vaccine distribution.