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Pangkalpinang (AFP) - Head of Food Security Agency (BKP), the Province of Bangka Belitung (Babel), Sudianto, said the food needs in the province reached 10 thousand tons per month.

"The need of food in Babylon reached 10 thousand tons per month, which are mainly supplied from outside the area," he said in Pangkalpinang, Friday.

He said, Babylon is only able to provide 12 percent of food, especially rice needs of the total while the remainder is supplied from outside the province such as Java and Palembang.

"The lack of local rice production due to limited agricultural land such as paddy fields to grow crops, so as to reach 12 percent of their food needs and rely on field tubers," he said.

He said access to transportation by sea could inhibit the supply of food to Babylon, so the stock should be ensured due to erratic weather at sea.

"We continue to work to improve food production in Babylon by increasing the amount of agricultural land," he said.

He also said, doing the certification of foodstuffs consumed by the community to be more feasible as established Food Safety Agency Competition Authority which is responsible for checking the feasibility of the food.

"Certification is giving certificates to food businesses in recognition that the agricultural output of consumable food ingredients," he said.