1996 rice production may reach 51.16m tons<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is optimistic that Indonesia will
\nbe able to achieve its target for this year's rice production of
\n51.16 million tons, a 2.6 percent increase over the 49.86 million
\ntons reached last year.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Agriculture's Director General for Food Crops
\nand Horticulture, Amrin Kahar, said yesterday that if the target
\nis achieved, it would be Indonesia's largest to date.<\/p>\n
\"Last year's production, which was estimated at 49.86 million
\ntons, is already the largest that we have ever had in Indonesia's
\nhistory,\" Amrin said during a break of a national meeting of
\nofficials overseen by his office.<\/p>\n
He said that based on estimates of the Central Bureau of
\nStatistics, the production of almost all food crops -- which
\ninclude maize, sweet potatoes, peanuts and soybeans -- and
\nhorticultural products last year increased drastically over 1994
\nlevels.<\/p>\n
Maize production soared by 19.71 percent to 8.2 million tons
\nlast year; soybeans by 7.49 percent to 1.6 million tons; peanuts
\nby 19.97 percent to 758.21 million tons; and sweet potatoes by
\n15.85 percent to 2.14 million tons.<\/p>\n
Only cassava production dropped by 2.85 percent last year from
\nthe previous year's 15.73 million tons.<\/p>\n
\"Our success in increasing production has cast away doubts on
\nour ability to increase food crop production, especially of rice,
\nmaize and soybeans,\" he said. Indonesia currently imports the
\nthree commodities on an incidental basis when domestic production
\nis unable to meet local demand.<\/p>\n
Amrin estimated that last year's favorable results would make
\nit easier to achieve this year's targets.<\/p>\n
This year's rice production target of 51.16 million tons, he
\nsaid, would be achieved through government efforts, which include
\nthe development of intensive-farming methods and high-quality
\ngogo-type rice, the extension of farming areas in irrigated
\nregions and the opening of new rice fields in tidal areas and
\npeat land in Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
In terms of harvested areas, almost all food crop commodities
\nrecorded higher figures for the January to February period of
\nthis year, compared to corresponding periods in 1995 and 1994.<\/p>\n
The harvested areas for rice during the January to February
\nperiod was 66.49 percent higher than the 1.13 million hectares
\nrecorded last year.<\/p>\n
The only commodity whose harvested areas decreased was mung
\nbeans, which dropped by 51 percent from the 66,500 hectares
\nrecorded during the January to February period of 1995.<\/p>\n
Planted areas for rice, maize, soybeans, cassava and sweet
\npotatoes during the 1995\/96 planting season -- extending from
\nOctober 1995 to January 1996 -- were also higher than those
\nrecorded in the corresponding periods in 1994\/95 and 1993\/94.<\/p>\n
Amrin said yesterday the government's program for the current
\n(1996\/97) fiscal year is to sustain the country's self-
\nsufficiency in rice and become self-sufficient in maize and
\nsoybeans.<\/p>\n
To achieve the target for this year, Amrin said, the Ministry
\nof Agriculture's Research and Development Agency has developed
\nhigh-quality rice varieties such as the Membramo and Cibodas
\ntypes -- which can increase harvests by up to 15 percent per
\nhectare -- and high-quality varieties designed for dry areas such
\nas the Gajah Mungkur, Kalimutu, Way Rarem and Jati Luhur rice
\ntypes.<\/p>\n
The ministry also plans to apply hybrid rice varieties, which
\ncan increase productivity by one to two tons per hectare.<\/p>\n
Responding to questions from reporters, Amrin said the
\ngovernment has no plans to develop or increase the production of
\nglutinous rice, because the demand remains too small and the
\ncosts -- particularly for research and development -- are too
\nhigh.<\/p>\n
The state-owned aircraft manufacturer, PT IPTN, recently
\ncounter-traded two of its aircraft for 110,000 tons of Thai
\nglutinous rice.<\/p>\n
The amount was expected to meet domestic demand for at least
\n1.5 years. Last year, Indonesia's imports for glutinous rice
\nreached about 80,000 tons.<\/p>\n
Amrin said that it would be better if the funds for research
\nand development went to rice rather than to glutinous rice which,
\nin Indonesia, was highly prone to diseases.<\/p>\n
In the 1970s and 1980s, he said, a plant disease which
\noriginated from glutinous rice had spread to other rice
\nvarieties, resulting in failed harvests. (pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/1996-rice-production-may-reach-5116m-tons-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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