Bantul administration buys crops

YOGYAKARTA: The Bantul regency administration has set aside Rp 45 million to buy corn from farmers in order to offset an expected surplus in the coming harvest.

The program began on Thursday with farmers in Pajangan district, which has more than 100 hectares of corn fields. The corn harvest in the district is expected to be at least 100 tons.

Official Edy Suharyanto said the crop surplus had caused a sharp drop in corn prices. Corn now sells for Rp 700 per kilogram, well below the Rp 813 per kilogram price that farmers need just to recoup their production costs.

The administration will pay farmers Rp 850 per kilogram for regular grade corn and Rp 950 per kilogram for top quality corn.

"We want to make sure that farmers will still want to plant corn after this surplus," Suharyanto said. -- JP