Corn production expected to rise to 9.2m tons
Corn production expected to rise to 9.2m tons
JAKARTA (JP): Domestic corn production is projected to
increase to 9.2 million tons this year, up from around 8.9
million tons last year.
Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah said Monday the
area of hybrid corn crops would more than double to 1.2 million
hectares from about 500,000 hectares at present because of the
government's program to raise corn production.
Corn crop expansion projects are planned for six provinces:
North Sumatra, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, East Java and
South Sulawesi.
Indonesia imports about one million tons of corn annually;
mainly hybrid corn to support domestic poultry food production.
Corn makes up 50 percent of poultry food and soybeans make up
15 percent.
Poultry husbandry has developed impressively in Indonesia with
the public's demand for meat, milk and eggs increasing in the
last few years because of a better economy.
Sjarifudin said that, aside from corn production, the ministry
of agriculture was planning to increase the production of rice
and other food commodities, like meat, fish and horticultural
products, in the fiscal year 1997/1998.
The government had allocated Rp 1.5 trillion (US$635 million)
for agriculture and forestry in its budget for the 1997/1998
fiscal year: Rp 880 billion of this would be given to the
Ministry of Agriculture, he said.
According to data at the ministry, the government expects the
country to produce 52 million tons of unhusked rice this year, up
from last year's output of 51 million tons.
Soybean production is expected to increase from 1.9 million
tons last year to 2 million tons this year.
Vegetable output is targeted to reach about 5.3 million tons,
while fruit output is expected to reach 6.3 million tons.
Fish output is expected to increase 5.9 percent from last year
to 4.7 million tons this year, including 3.7 million tons of
saltwater fish, and one million tons of freshwater fish.
About 656.710 tons are expected to be exported this year,
generating about $2.2 billion in revenue.
Sjarifuddin said the government would open 15 new fishing
ports this year to increase production.
He expected the recent deregulatory measure which allowed the
import of fishing boats would increase the national catch this
year.
The government expects the country's number of fishing boats
to increase to about 1,000 by the year 2000. It is allowing
private firms to import about 340 fishing boats yearly starting
this year.
Sjarifudin installed seven officials at his ministry on
Monday, including Bambang Subiantoro as the chief of the
appliance and administration office, Darman Bachri Hasibuan as
the chief of the public relations office, Hardjono as the chief
of the agricultural quarantine center and Togar Alam Napitupulu
as the chief of the agricultural statistics office.
The minister of agriculture's secretary-general, Soetatwo
Hadiwigeno, completed his term yesterday. He has been appointed
the Food and Agriculture Organization assistant for the Asia-
Pacific. He will be based in Bangkok, Thailand. (jsk)