Wheat Flour, Indonesia's Second Largest Source of Calories

Wheat flour is an alternative staple food besides rice. This commodity is commonly consumed in the form of noodles, bread, cakes, biscuits, fried foods, and so on.

According to data from the National Food Agency (Bapanas), wheat flour is one of the main sources of calories or energy intake for the Indonesian people.

Bapanas recorded that in 2023, on average, Indonesians consumed food with a total energy content of 2,088 kilocalories (kcal)/capita/day.

Of this amount, approximately 12.4% or 258 kcal/capita/day comes from wheat flour consumption.

This makes wheat flour the second largest source of calories for the Indonesian people, after rice.

In 2023, average rice consumption contributed 926 kcal/capita/day or 44.3% of the total daily calories of the population.

Meanwhile, energy intake from the consumption of vegetables, fruits, meat, and other food commodities is lower, as shown in the graph.

Wheat Flour Supply Threatened with Reduction

Currently, Indonesia is at risk of a wheat flour shortage. This is because a number of local wheat flour producers are threatened with running out of raw materials called "fortified premix".

According to the Indonesian Wheat Flour Producers Association (Aptindo), fortified premix is an auxiliary raw material in the manufacture of wheat flour that serves to provide nutrients.

Aptindo Chairman General Farnciscus Welirang revealed that local wheat flour producers usually obtain these raw materials through imports.

However, starting this year, the supply could be hampered due to new regulations that tighten the import of fortified premix.

"In accordance with Trade Minister Regulation Number 36 of 2023 and Trade Minister Regulation Number 3 of 2024, imports of fortified premix must obtain an Import Approval (PI) and a Surveyor Report (LS). However, the technical regulations have not yet been issued," said Franciscus, as reported by *Katadata*, Thursday (18/4/2024).

Franciscus explained that fortified premix is a mandatory raw material in the manufacture of wheat flour based on the Indonesian National Standard (SNI).

Without this raw material, wheat flour can lose various nutrients such as iron, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin B.

Franciscus also estimated that national wheat flour production could decrease by more than 50% if there is no solution regarding the procurement of fortified premix.

"Producers only have two choices: stop wheat flour production when the fortified premix runs out, or continue producing wheat flour without fortified premix, which means violating the SNI," he said.