Govt to set standards for imported rice<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will
\nset standards of quality for imported rice in a bid to protect
\nfarmers from an influx of cheap rice, a senior official said on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
\"We hope the standards can be issued within the next one or
\ntwo weeks,\" the director-general of food crops production,
\nSyarifuddin Karama, said during a seminar on the problems facing
\nIndonesia's rice farmers.<\/p>\n
Syarifuddin said importers only would be allowed to import
\nhigh-quality rice, a step meant to prevent the sale of imported
\nrice from affecting the price of local rice.<\/p>\n
Although Indonesia has set an import tariff of 10 percent on
\nimported rice, an influx of cheap rice from Thailand and other
\nAsian countries has caused a sharp drop in rice prices on the
\ndomestic market.<\/p>\n
\"With a limited supply of imported rice on the market, it is
\nhoped that farmers will be able to sell their unhusked rice at
\nthe government's floor-price,\" Syarifuddin said.<\/p>\n
The government set in December 1998 the floor-price for
\nunhusked rice at between Rp 1,400 (16 U.S. cents) and Rp 1,500 a
\nkilogram, but oversupply caused by an influx of imported rice and
\nan increase in local production has caused prices to drop to
\nbetween Rp 700 and Rp 900 a kilogram.<\/p>\n
Syarifuddin said the quality standards would be imposed on
\nrice imported by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) as well as
\nprivate importers.<\/p>\n
He also said that this year domestic rice production would be
\nenough to meet the national demand of some 30 million tons, the
\nfirst time in 10 years the country will be self-sufficient in
\nrice.<\/p>\n
Production of unhusked rice this year is expected to reach 53
\nmillion tons, the equivalent of 30 million tons of milled rice,
\nin addition to the rice stock of 1.7 million tons held by Bulog.<\/p>\n
Despite achieving rice self-sufficiency, Syarifuddin said the
\ngovernment would continue importing high-quality rice to fill
\ntemporary gaps in production.<\/p>\n
Indonesia first reached rice self-sufficiency in 1984, but
\ndeclining rice production in 1990 forced the government to begin
\nimporting rice.<\/p>\n
Rice imported by private companies reached 42,000 tons in
\nJanuary and 38,000 tons in February this year, and Bulog imported
\n1.45 million tons of rice in 1999. (10)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-set-standards-for-imported-rice-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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