Food supply for elections 'sufficient'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M.
\nSaefuddin said on Wednesday the food supply ahead of and during
\nthe upcoming June 7 general election would be adequate to meet
\ndemand.<\/p>\n
Saefuddin said rice stocks held by the State Logistics Agency
\n(Bulog) were sufficient to meet demand during the campaign and
\nelection periods.<\/p>\n
\"Our rice harvest in the recent harvest season was also very
\ngood. I think there won't be any shortage of foodstuffs during
\nthe (election) period,\" he said after meeting with ambassadors
\nand representatives from 18 Middle Eastern countries.<\/p>\n
There is concern the country's security situation will worsen
\nahead of the general election in June, particularly in light of
\nthe fact that religious and ethnics conflicts continue to hit a
\nnumber of areas across the country.<\/p>\n
The bomb blast at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta on Monday has
\nadded to the fear of escalating social and political tension
\nahead of the general election. Many people have begun to
\nstockpile stocks of rice and other basic commodities in
\nanticipation of unrest, which could disrupt the distribution of
\nbasic needs.<\/p>\n
Bulog deputy of procurement M. Amin said that aside from rice,
\nthe agency was holding stocks of several other commodities which
\nit imported before its monopoly was lifted in September last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Amin said Bulog's stock of sugar stood at 693,628 tons, wheat
\nflour at 542,042 tons and soybean at 178,843 tons.<\/p>\n
\"The stocks will be released gradually onto the market so they
\nwon't affect market prices. Once they are sold, we will not buy
\nany more commodities, except for rice,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the stocks might be released during the campaign and
\nelection period in order to help stabilize prices.<\/p>\n
\"Even though Bulog is no longer in charge of stabilizing the
\nprices of commodities other than rice, we feel we are still
\nresponsible,\" he said.<\/p>\n
During the meeting with the ambassadors and representatives,
\nSaefuddin said the economic crisis which began in August, 1997
\nhad forced the country to become the world's biggest recipient of
\nfood aid in 1998.<\/p>\n
He said from the beginning of the economic crisis to the end
\nof 1998, Indonesia had secured food aid commitments from donor
\ncountries and international institutions in the form of grants
\nand soft loans reaching a total of 1.9 million tons of rice and
\nother foods worth US$168 million.<\/p>\n
Saefuddin said food aid was directed to Indonesia because the
\ncrisis had forced many Indonesians to live below the poverty line
\nand had created dire food shortages.<\/p>\n
He said the impact of the crisis was reflected in the decline
\nin household food consumption in terms of quantity and quality.<\/p>\n
\"What we fear the most is not the supply but the weakening
\npurchasing power of people, which means they will be unable to
\nconsume enough food in terms of quantity and nutritional value.<\/p>\n
\"This will result in the mental and physical retardation of
\nour younger generation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Saefuddin said the government, with financial aid from
\ninternational institutions, including the World Food Program, the
\nAsian Development Bank, the World Health Organization and the
\nUnited Nations Children's Fund, was providing food supplements to
\nschoolchildren, pregnant women, new mothers and children under
\nthe age of five to improve the nutritional status of these
\nvulnerable groups.<\/p>\n
Saefuddin also said the government's program of providing
\ncheap rice to the poor had so far reached 9.8 million families,
\nor around 50 percent of the targeted 17.5 million families. The
\nprogram is slated to run until April 2000.<\/p>\n
In July, the government launched a program to provide the
\ncountry's poorest families with 20 kilograms of medium-quality
\nrice every month for Rp 1,000 a kilogram (13 US cents) --
\ncompared to the normal price of between Rp 2,000 and Rp 3,000 a
\nkilogram.<\/p>\n
Saefuddin denied the meeting with the ambassadors and
\nrepresentatives was aimed at getting more aid from Middle Eastern
\ncountries and countering negative reports on the government's
\ninability to distribute food aid smoothly.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by ambassadors and representatives
\nfrom Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Algeria,
\nMorocco, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia,
\nKuwait, Afghanistan, Syria and Jordan. (gis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/food-supply-for-elections-sufficient-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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