Credit for farmers, SMEs unpaid

SURAKARTA, Central Java: Bad debts among farmers and small- and medium-scale enterprises (SME) have reached Rp 8.7 trillion (US$966 million), State Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Suryadharma Ali said.

Suryadharma said the government could not just write off the debts as there were many debtors who had consistently paid their monthly installments.

"I have learned that some people are regularly paying their loans in credit, some can no longer afford to pay and the rest deliberately evade their responsibilities," he said.

He said he would find a solution to the bad debts within his first 100 days in office. -- Antara