Govt says it's ready for food crisis

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The East Nusa Tenggara provincial government has taken measures to prepare for an imminent food crisis, a top local government official said on Friday. The administration has, among other things, deployed government employees to villages to help teach local farmers how to plant crops other than rice that need less water, such as corn and tubers, said East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet A. Tallo.

"The government will help provide the seedlings and the technical assistance," said Tallo at his office.

Earlier, the East Nusa Tenggara provincial council's budget committee agreed to allocate Rp 11 billion (US$1.2 billion) to help deal with the imminent food crisis. This money comes on top of 46,000 tons of rice earmarked by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) for residents in drought affected areas in East Nusa Tenggara.

The governor said that the administration would focus its attention on the imminent food crisis as it would affect many aspects of people's lives and adversely affect the health of children. -- JP