This document discusses famines that occurred in Indonesia during the 1950s and 1960s but have received little historical attention. While population growth, natural disasters, and crop failures contributed to food shortages, the paper argues that government policies exacerbated the problems. The state-owned food logistics agency sought to control rice and food crop markets, immobilizing food stocks and preventing the free market from alleviating regional shortages. This, combined with other factors, occasionally led to regional famines in some areas, though not widespread famine across Indonesia. Political turmoil and restrictions on media reporting limited documentation and analysis of these famines.
This document discusses famines that occurred in Indonesia during the 1950s and 1960s but have received little historical attention. While population growth, natural disasters, and crop fail…