Drought will affect RI's rice production<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The current drought plaguing Indonesia will
\nbring down the country's rice production to just over 49 million
\ntons from 51 million tons last year, Minister of Agriculture
\nSjarifudin Baharsjah said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Speaking after meeting with President Soeharto, Sjarifudin
\nsaid the severe drought would also affect other commodities,
\nincluding coffee, tea and palm oil.<\/p>\n
But despite the decline in rice output, Sjarifudin said there
\nwas no need to worry about a domestic shortage because enough was
\nstockpiled by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to last for four
\nor five months.<\/p>\n
"There is no reason to worry about our national rice stock,"
\nSjarifudin said.<\/p>\n
He said the country's 200 million population consumed only
\nabout 31 million tons a year based on a per capita consumption of
\n130 kilograms.<\/p>\n
But Sjarifudin warned that the current drought might be longer
\nthan expected as rains would not come before the end of December.<\/p>\n
As of this month, at least 450,000 hectares of rice fields had
\nbeen damaged by the drought, the minister said.<\/p>\n
"Rice (unhusked) production will drop 2.2 percent from 51.3
\nmillion tons last year to only 49.1 million tons this year," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
His statement contradicted his prediction in July, when he
\nexpressed confidence that despite the long dry season, this
\nyear's rice output would still rise by 2 percent.<\/p>\n
Rice is the main staple food for most of Indonesia's 200
\nmillion people.<\/p>\n
To overcome the decline in output, Sjarifudin said the
\ngovernment would take special measures, such as speeding up the
\nplanting season.<\/p>\n
The minister, however, did not say whether the government had
\nany plan to import rice this year.<\/p>\n
In 1994, hurting from a prolonged dry season and increasing
\npopulation, Indonesia was forced for the first time in a decade
\nto import rice to meet domestic demand.<\/p>\n
"Tea output will also drop by 30 percent, coffee by 40
\npercent ... and palm oil by 30 percent -- especially in Riau,
\nNorth Sumatra and Jambi," Sjarifudin said.<\/p>\n
According to official statistics, tea plantations' total
\nacreage in Indonesia was about 158,000 hectares with an output of
\n158,000 tons in 1996.<\/p>\n
The export of tea from January to May this year totaled
\nUS$52.92 million.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters
\nOesman Soedargo estimated last month that coffee production this
\nyear would drop by 60 percent.<\/p>\n
The coffee harvest for 1997 was projected to fall to 180,000
\ntons this year from 500,000 tons last year, Oesman said.
\n(prb\/rid)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drought-will-affect-ris-rice-production-1447893297",
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