Govt vows to boost rice production

Govt vows to boost rice production

JAKARTA (JP): The government promised yesterday to help farmers rehabilitate village irrigation systems to increase the country's rice production and improve their own welfare.

"We expect the rehabilitation to be completed by the end of the sixth Five Year Development Plan period," State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita said after meeting President Soeharto here.

Ginandjar, in his meeting with Soeharto to report the latest developments of the country's rice production and stocks, was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah, Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar, State Minister of Food Ibrahim Hasan and Chairman of the National Logistics Agency Beddu Amang.

Ginandjar explained that the rehabilitation of the irrigation systems was initially expected to cover only 900,000 hectares of rice fields. However, it was found that the systems could cover up to 1.6 million hectares.

Radinal said that for the 1994-1995 fiscal year, the government had planned to rehabilitate the irrigation systems of 150,000 hectares in Java and another 150,000 hectares outside Java.

"But the project has exceeded the target, covering 154,492 hectares in Java and 151,230 hectares outside Java," he said.

Radinal acknowledged that villagers were enthusiastic about the project because the new dams helped increase their yield.

"What was formerly thought to be only an improvement to the water management system actually allows farmers to harvest twice a year, as compared to only once a year beforehand," he said.

Ginandjar said the funding for the project came from the state budget's reserves. However, he added, in the future the funds will be allocated in the state budget.

To rehabilitate one hectare of paddy field took Rp 500,000 (US$220). The total amount required for the 300,000 hectares would reach Rp 150 billion, he said.

Ginandjar said the project was needed because the increase in population must be matched by an increase in food production.

Rice is the staple food of most of the 195 million people in Indonesia.

Sjarifudin acknowledged that if the project continued to be successful, Indonesia could regain its self-sufficiency in rice and increase the welfare of farmers.

Sjarifudin said earlier this week that agricultural land was disappearing at a serious rate.

He was optimistic, however, that intensive farming techniques -- including the irrigation dams -- and favorable weather this year could help compensate.

He was confident that production levels for 1995 would exceed the estimates of the Central Bureau of Statistics, which has put unhusked rice production at 48.45 million tons or 3.89 percent higher than last year's yield. This is equivalent to 31.5 million tons of husked rice.

Sjarifudin pointed out yesterday that the country's rice production could increase in spite of the decrease in the agriculture land.

"Better farming techniques will increase agricultural production," he said.

Indonesia was formerly the biggest rice importer in the world but became self-sufficient in rice in 1984. Until 1993, the country's rice exports exceeded imports, but since then it has had to rely partly on imports.

Last year, rice production reached only 46.6 million tons -- the lowest level in 15 years -- as compared to 48.2 million tons in 1993. The decline was caused by unfavorable weather and plant diseases. (pwn)