17m families 'hit by dire food shortages'

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin, acknowledging that 17.1 million families are facing food shortages nationwide, said on Sunday the government was prescribing special measures for poverty-stricken areas vulnerable to social unrest.

He said that in Central and East Java provinces 60 percent of 7.3 million poor families -- averaging four people to a household -- could afford only one meal a day. He described it as a "critical situation".

The other 9.7 million families were considered to be able to eat twice daily, but this ability was declining fast, he told The Jakarta Post by telephone.

He identified areas particularly vulnerable to food crises and social unrest as including North and West Jakarta mayoralties, and Tangerang and Bekasi in Greater Jakarta. He also cited Karawang, another area on Jakarta's outskirts which was formerly an important rice producer.

"Urban poor are especially vulnerable," Saefuddin said, confirming the view of agricultural expert Rizaldi Boer and sociologist Loekman Soetrisno. They said in recent interviews with the Post that hardest hit among community groups were poor in urban centers who no longer have access to either industrial or agricultural resources.

"In many rural areas, people are more used to hardship and can seek alternative ways to cope. Those who demonstrate or loot are usually the urban poor," Saefuddin said.

Rizaldi, a lecturer at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, and Loekman, a professor of sociology at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, agreed that social unrest could easily ignite among the urban poor, confronted by industries grinding to a halt and without any land to till.

Loekman also identified Greater Jakarta and the northern part of East and Central Java provinces as areas especially prone to the threat. "In Java, the (crisis) is almost everywhere."

Separately, World Vision Indonesia -- a Christian humanitarian relief organization -- said it had targeted areas hit by prolonged drought last year and early this year. They included East Sumba, Rote Island off East Nusa Tenggara, and Alor regency in the same province, and Bangai regency in Central Sulawesi.

"Those areas were designated since we identified them as the most affected by last year's El Nino," said spokesman Hendro Suwito.

Saefuddin conceded that starting this month, the country will face paceklik -- a term referring to famine caused by crop failure or food scarcities before harvest, which usually occurs in January.

"Prices tend to rise, while domestic stocks of rice decline." He added that government stocks had thinned to 2 million metric tons because of continued market operations.

Of the 1.9 million tons of rice to be imported this year, only 500,000 tons have arrived, he said. The next batch of 400,000 tons is expected to arrive next month, to be followed in November by 1 million tons.

The government plans to flood markets with the stocks in the hope of controlling the prices, he said. It also plans to reinforce stocks with domestic production by purchasing rice at market prices rather than basic prices.

"This is assuming that many people, farmers and traders, are still holding on to their own supply of rice, hoping for better prices."

He conceded that a negative ramification of the move could be a further increase in prices of the staple food.

He suggested the alternative for the government to allow the private sector to import rice directly rather than through the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). "Rice is an absolute staple for the effort to protect people's basic rights, namely the right to food."

He also suggested the abolition of its import taxes and duties, pointing out the relatively small international stocks of rice, currently controlled by China, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and the United States.

"Private imports will bolster international prices, and influence domestic prices as well. Therefore, government subsidies on rice must be maintained," he said.

"However, for the paceklik period, the government should just allow the private sector to import good quality rice. The government can import the medium quality rice for certain consumers, namely (those with incomes at the level of) public servants or Armed Forces personnel."

He forecast the special measure could be discontinued by harvest time.

The government's special measures, he said, would also include nonmarket operations, such as distribution of rice directly to "critical groups" such as students and "the poorest among the poor".

He believed the operations should involve community leaders, non-governmental organizations, student groups, mosques and churches. "Involve them so they may reduce their pressure toward the government."

Despite the poverty blanketing many areas of Java, Saefuddin said several regions were reaping rewards because of their export-based industries. He identified Bali with its tourism, Aceh (coffee), Riau (palm oil) and South Sulawesi (cacao).

"There are pockets of export commodities which are currently enjoying dollars... when (people in these areas) want to buy cars, they are put on waiting lists because so many people want to buy," he said.

"Some people there are probably hoping the economic crisis lasts longer so they can enjoy the difference in exchange rate." (swe/aan)