Rice focus has stunted progress in fruit<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has been slow in developing studies in
\nthe science and technology of fruit cultivation because it has
\nput most of its efforts into achieving self-sufficiency in rice,
\nan official says.<\/p>\n
\"The Ministry of Agriculture only started to seriously focus
\non the development of local fruit about two years ago, when
\nimported fruit had already invaded the domestic market,\" said
\nPudjo Tjiptono of the ministry's Directorate General of Food
\nCrops and Horticulture.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, formerly the biggest rice importer in the world,
\nbecame self-sufficient in rice in 1984. However, a substantial
\ndecline in domestic production resulting from the prolonged dry
\nseason forced the country to import rice again last year.<\/p>\n
Pudjo said at the press conference yesterday that Indonesia's
\nclimate will lend itself to becoming a tropical fruit-producing
\ncountry. In addition, he expressed confidence that the country's
\nfarmers will be able to produce high-quality fruit.<\/p>\n
On the same occasion, Mohammad Amin, vice committee chairman
\nof the 1995 Food Festival, announced that the festival would be
\nheld in the Mekarsari fruit garden in Cileungsi, Bogor, south of
\nhere.<\/p>\n
The two-day festival, which is held in line with this year's
\nWorld Food Day on Oct. 16, will be launched by President Soeharto
\non Saturday.<\/p>\n
Amin said that this year's World Food Day theme of \"Food for
\nAll\" will be supported the national theme of \"Fruit and
\nVegetables Improve Human Resources\".<\/p>\n
Soeharto is also scheduled to officially open the Mekarsari
\nfruit garden on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The 264-hectare garden was established on a plot of land which
\nformerly belonged to the state-owned plantation firm PTP VII.<\/p>\n
The initiative to create the garden, Amin said, came from
\nFirst Lady Tien Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The garden has 88 hectares of fruit plantations with 407
\nvarieties of fruit. Twenty hectares of the garden consist of
\n2,709 types of hard-crop fruit and 175,382 types of shrubs.<\/p>\n
Amin declined to disclose the amount spent on the garden,
\nsaying that the construction was fully handled by the Purna
\nBhakti Pertiwi Foundation, which is headed by Mrs. Tien.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the garden's daily activities will be managed by PT
\nMekar Unggul Sari, owned by Soeharto's youngest daughter, Siti
\nHutami Endang Adiningsih, better known as Mamiek. (pwn)<\/p>",
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