Indonesia aims to stop rice imports in 2001: Minister
Indonesia aims to stop rice imports in 2001: Minister
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Agriculture Soleh Solahuddin said he
was optimistic that Indonesia would no longer need to import rice
by 2001, due to a continued increase in local rice production.
The minister said that this year's rice imports would decline
from 4.8 million tons in 1998 to 1.5 million tons.
He said that next year's imports would be slightly below this
year's level, but in 2001 Indonesia would be able to stop all
rice imports.
"I am sure the improvement in the local rice production will
enable Indonesia to cut imports to zero percent in 2001," he told
a press briefing.
To increase next years production, Soleh said, the ministry
was cooperating with the Meteorology and Geophysics Bureau of the
Ministry of Telecommunication and Transportation in anticipating
a long drought, by inducing artificial rain.
"Previously, the artificial rain was aimed for the forest
fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Nevertheless, the rain has come
to the regions and put out the fires," he said
Nevertheless, Java, a major rice production region, had not
experience rainfall in last few months, he said, adding that the
artificial rain would be now targeted to Java's main rice
producing region.
"The rain will have to start no later than November, otherwise
the major harvest next year will seriously be affected," he said.
Soleh also stressed the importance of irrigation systems in
the rice producing region and added that the ministry had tried
to help farmers in setting up the system in anticipation of a
long drought.
"With a proper system in place and rainfall we can expect a
major harvest between January and March," he said.
He hoped such a program would be able to increase the
production of unhusked rice to about 52 million tons, exceeding
the initial target of 49 million tons.
"In order to achieve self-suffiency in rice production, the
government will also launch a program to reduce the average rice
consumption to 120 kg per capita per year, from the current
figure of 130 kg per capita per year," Soleh added.
The program will introduce and attempt to popularize other
carbohydrate sources as part of a staple diet, to reduce
Indonesian's dependency on rice.
"We can't just depend on rice as our carbohydrate source. Our
population is growing every year, but the available land suitable
for rice farming is limited," he said.
By reducing the consumption of rice, the annual unhusked rice
production of 50 million metric tons, which is equal to around 30
million tons of rice, would be sufficient to feed the 210 million
Indonesian people.
According to the ministry, the country's annual rice demand
was estimated to be 32 million tons, including 27 million tons
for consumption, three million tons for industrial use and two
million tons as a reserve for the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
"We are still short of 1.5 million tons to fulfill all the
requirements, as the harvest at the end of the year is estimated
to reach 500,000 tons," Soleh said.
With an estimated two million tons of rice required per month,
the current rice stocks in Bulog of between 2.5 to three million
tons, combined with those in the market of between five to 7.5
million tons, would satisfy the needs for the next five to six
months, he added. (02)