S. Sulawesi farmers to quit growing rice<\/p>\n
SIDRAP, South Sulawesi (JP): Thousands of farmers in Sidrap
\nregency, some 230 kilometers north of the South Sulawesi capital
\nof Makassar, have threatened to stop growing rice if the price of
\nunhusked rice does not improve before the next harvest in
\nOctober.<\/p>\n
Frustrated by the fact that they had not benefited from
\nplanting rice this harvest, the farmers claimed they would prefer
\nto plant cacao.<\/p>\n
H. Langke, head of a farmers group in Mariatangae district in
\nSidrap, said if the price of unhusked rice did not increase from
\nRp 700 per kilogram before October, thousands of farmers in 364
\ngroups in the regency would convert their rice fields to cacao
\ngroves.<\/p>\n
"The government should take responsibility in this," Langke
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Farmers across the country are upset at the drop in rice
\nprices.<\/p>\n
Some of them have blamed the government for allowing imported
\nrice to be marketed. Other farmers consider the drop in prices
\nnormal due to harvest time falling almost simultaneously
\nthroughout the archipelago.<\/p>\n
That logistics agencies lack adequate funds to buy rice from
\nthe farmers is one of the key factors aggravating the problem.<\/p>\n
Aware of the situation, the government allocated Rp 2.8
\ntrillion for the purchase of farmers' rice nationwide this month.<\/p>\n
The government also promised to set aside Rp 300 billion for
\nvillage cooperatives, which buys farmers' products for logistics
\nagencies.<\/p>\n
In Sidrap, the price of unhusked rice was set at between Rp
\n1,100 and Rp 1,200 by the government. However, because the local
\nlogistics agency did not buy the rice, the farmers sold it to
\ntraders for Rp between Rp 650 and Rp 700 per kilogram.<\/p>\n
Sidrap, which has a total of 46,000 hectares of rice fields,
\nis one of the province's rice bowls, with annual production
\nreaching 511,000 tons. Records at the local logistics agency show
\nthat over supply of rice in the regency is some 125,000 tons per
\nannum.<\/p>\n
Sidrap Regent HS Parawangsa said farmers were apparently upset
\nthat rice was being imported into the country, saying: "We would
\nbe very happy if the government stopped the imports, or if the
\nimport duty was raised."<\/p>\n
Asked what the local administration had done to relieve the
\npeople's burden, Parawangsa said the province had exported good
\nquality Celebes rice. "We started exporting rice to Saudi Arabia
\nlast month. We've also urged the logistics agency to buy the
\nfarmers' rice."<\/p>\n
Parawangsa acknowledged that the local logistics agency had
\nbought the farmers' rice, but due to bumper harvests in February,
\nMarch and April the rice surplus reached 200,000 tons in the
\narea. "The logistics agency is overwhelmed."<\/p>\n
The regent said he had heard about the farmers' threat. "But I
\ndoubt the threat will come true. It's just a threat. Please don't
\nexaggerate the issue," he told The Jakarta Post, describing the
\nfarmers' frustration as a calamity.<\/p>\n
"We have been giving guidance to the farmers and enhancing
\ncommunication with them to alleviate their frustration." (27\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/s-sulawesi-farmers-to-quit-growing-rice-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}