Jakarta, INTI - Nuclear technology can serve as a strategic solution to support national food self-sufficiency. This was conveyed by Bara Krishna Hasibuan, Expert Staff for Digital Transformation and Inter-Institutional Relations at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs, during the 2026 Program Internalization and Risk Management Implementation event held by BRIN’s Nuclear Energy Research Organization (ORTN) on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
In his presentation, Bara emphasized that the government’s goal goes beyond food security, aiming to build stronger food resilience across strategic commodities and staple foods. This effort will be achieved through sustainable increases in agricultural production.
He explained that nuclear technology plays a significant role in supporting these targets. Its applications include developing superior crop varieties, improving agricultural input efficiency, strengthening post-harvest safety and resilience, managing water and land resources, and enabling environmentally friendly pest control.
Risk Mitigation and Strategic Development Framework
Alongside these opportunities, Bara also highlighted potential risks that must be anticipated, particularly radionuclide contamination such as Cesium-137, which could impact food safety, the environment, public health, and the economy. He stressed the importance of ORTN’s role in strengthening monitoring systems and risk mitigation.
Strategic measures include developing national laboratories for assessing radionuclide contamination in food and the environment. In addition, integrated emergency response protocols involving the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the Ministry of Health are needed, along with stronger research focused on root cause analysis to prevent recurring contamination cases.
Bara also outlined key directions and recommendations to optimize the contribution of nuclear research in the food sector. These include aligning BRIN’s mutation breeding programs with national food self-sufficiency targets, developing climate-resilient crop varieties, and expanding food irradiation capacity to support horticultural exports.
Further steps involve integrating isotope techniques into national agricultural land monitoring systems, harmonizing food irradiation safety regulations with international standards, and developing a national roadmap for preventing radionuclide contamination. Through synergy between BRIN and the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs, the use of nuclear technology is expected to be further optimized to support a resilient, independent, and sustainable national food system.
Conclusion
The adoption of nuclear technology in the food sector represents a forward-looking strategy to strengthen Indonesia’s food resilience. By balancing innovation with risk mitigation and cross-institutional collaboration, the government aims to build a more sustainable, secure, and self-sufficient national food system in the face of evolving global challenges.
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