Govt separates agriculture and forestry ministry<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bungaran
\nSaragih said on Monday that the government has decided to
\nseparate his ministry into two state ministries.<\/p>\n
As of Monday, the ministry was divided into the State Ministry
\nfor Agriculture and the State Ministry for Forestry Affairs, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"The agriculture ministry will focus on food resilience and
\nthe forestry ministry on strong agricultural businesses,\" Saragih
\ntold reporters.<\/p>\n
Saragih said he would lead the ministry of agriculture, while
\nthe current Junior Minister for Forestry Affairs Nurmahmudi
\nIsmail would lead the Ministry of Forestry Affairs.<\/p>\n
The ministries of agriculture and forestry used to work
\nindependently until they were merged when President Abdurrahman
\nWahid reshuffled the Cabinet in August.<\/p>\n
Separately, a group of economic ministers who met on Monday
\ndecided to raise the floor price of unhusked rice to Rp 1,500
\n(about 16 U.S. cents ) per kilogram from the current Rp 1,400 per
\nkilogram.<\/p>\n
The Office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy
\nissued a press statement saying that the increase was in
\nanticipation of a surge in rice supplies during the harvest
\nseason in April next year.<\/p>\n
Minister of Industry and Trade Luhut Pandjaitan said that the
\ngovernment needed to protect local farmers who were facing an
\ninflux of cheap imported rice.<\/p>\n
The National Logistics Agency (Bulog) procures unhusked rice
\nfrom farmers at the government's flour price.<\/p>\n
The meeting also resulted in a decision to retain rice imports
\nnext year.<\/p>\n
\"To protect farmers' interests during the harvest season, the
\nagency has also been advised to suspend the shipments of rice it
\nhas already ordered from foreign countries,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
It said that in case of a rice shortage, the government would
\ndirect shipments during harvest season only to the affected
\nregions.<\/p>\n
The government further insisted that civil servants and
\nmembers of the armed and the police forces in regions with an
\nacute shortage of rice must once again use their rice allowance
\nfunds to purchase rice from Bulog.<\/p>\n
Protests over the low quality of Bulog's rice were among the
\nreasons why the government had earlier allowed civil servants and
\nmembers of the armed and polices forces to accept cash instead of
\nrice.<\/p>\n
This time, the statement said, the government would guarantee
\nthe quality of the rice Bulog sold.<\/p>\n
\"If the quality of the rice is not as stated in the
\ncontract, Bulog will replace it,\" the statement said. (bkm)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-separates-agriculture-and-forestry-ministry-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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