{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1355837,
        "msgid": "calls-for-tariff-hike-mount-as-harvest-begins-1447893297",
        "date": "2003-05-08 00:00:00",
        "title": "Calls for tariff hike mount as harvest begins",
        "author": null,
        "source": "JP",
        "tags": null,
        "topic": null,
        "summary": "Calls for tariff hike mount as harvest begins Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday that import tariffs on rice must be increased to help keep away cheap imports as harvest season begins at home. Ministry community empowerment for food security director general Ahmad Suryana said the massive inflow of cheap rice would cause the price of the commodity to fall and hurt local farmers. \"Everybody knows the current tariff is still very low.",
        "content": "<p>Calls for tariff hike mount as harvest begins<\/p>\n<p>Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n<p>The Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday that import tariffs<br>\non rice must be increased to help keep away cheap imports as<br>\nharvest season begins at home.<\/p>\n<p>Ministry community empowerment for food security director<br>\ngeneral Ahmad Suryana said the massive inflow of cheap rice would<br>\ncause the price of the commodity to fall and hurt local farmers.<\/p>\n<p>\"Everybody knows the current tariff is still very low. We need<br>\nto raise the tariff,\" he said at a seminar on food security<br>\npolicy held by the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI).<\/p>\n<p>The current import tariff on rice is set at Rp 430 per<br>\nkilogram, which is equal to around 30 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The ministry has previously proposed increasing the tariff to<br>\nRp 753 per kg.<\/p>\n<p>But HKTI has been demanding a tariff of around Rp 850 per kg.<\/p>\n<p>HKTI chairman Siswono Yudohusodo said a tariff hike would not<br>\ncause a rice shortage at home because the current harvest, which<br>\nstarts in May and ends in July, was sufficient to meet local<br>\ndemand.<\/p>\n<p>He said President Megawati Soekarnoputri had agreed to<br>\nincrease tariffs but Minister of Finance Boediono had yet to<br>\nendorse the proposal.<\/p>\n<p>Rice is a strategic commodity in the country because it is the<br>\nmain staple of Indonesia's about 220 million people.<\/p>\n<p>Siswono said that in order to ensure food security for the<br>\ncountry, farmers must be given incentives, including in the form<br>\nof import tariffs to keep them planting rice.<\/p>\n<p>He said it would be politically and economically risky for the<br>\ncountry to continue to rely on foreign countries for food.<\/p>\n<p>Siswono said that Indonesia was one of the world's biggest<br>\nimporters of rice, while imposing the lowest import tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>He said other countries had higher import tariffs on rice,<br>\nincluding China with 150 percent, Thailand 90 percent, Pakistan<br>\n120 percent and Vietnam 70 percent.<\/p>\n<p>He said the country imported about 2 million tons of rice<br>\nannually, mainly from Thailand.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/calls-for-tariff-hike-mount-as-harvest-begins-1447893297",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}