Consumption of rice rises

JAKARTA (JP): National per capita rice consumption rose by 11 kilograms in the past 10 years, Minister of Agriculture Justika Sjarifudin Baharsjah said Thursday.

Justika said the increase to 131 kilograms posed a challenge for the country to feed its people in conjunction with the decrease in agricultural land.

"The Ministry of Agriculture is facing a hard challenge in boosting crops production, especially rice, due to the decreasing land allocation," Justika said.

She added that the annual decrease in agricultural land in Java was from 30,000 to 50,000 hectares. (gis)