Aircraft-for-rice barter deal opposed

Aircraft-for-rice barter deal opposed

JAKARTA (Antara): Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragih opposed on Wednesday a planned aircraft-for-rice-sugar-and- tapioca deal with Thailand.

"Rice, sugar and tapioca are agricultural products of small farmers. The entry of such (imported) commodities (into the Indonesian market) would keep the prices of local products down," he said after opening a coordination and consultation meeting on enhancing the country's food security here.

The government earlier announced it would sell PT Dirgantara Indonesia-assembled CN-235s to Thailand in exchange for the three commodities.

Saragih said an airplane-for-agricultural products deal was actually common in international trade but the airplanes should be exchanged for KCL fertilizers and pesticides.

He said if the government proceeds with the deal, it would undoubtedly keep the prices of local rice down.

"It would be better for the government to trade the airplanes for KCL fertilizers, pesticides or agricultural equipment," he said.

Bungaran said the government could sell CN-235s to Thailand for KCL fertilizers under a 10-year contract because the commodity was badly needed by local farmers.

The minister further noted that the country's food security had become a cause for concern, as indicated by the increasing number of undernourished children below the age of five.

"In 1999, 1.7 million Indonesian children under five years of age were found to be undernourished, and 10 percent of them were severely undernourished," he said.

Based on the results of a survey conducted in five provinces, the prevalence of growth disturbances in children aged between five years old and nine years old is still high at 38 percent, he said.