Indonesia imports 1m tons sugar yearly

BANDUNG (JP): Indonesia imports about one million tons of sugar in a year to supply the demand of sugar in the country, an official has said here.

Beddu Amang, the head of the National Logistics Agency, said the demand of sugar now reached 3 million tons, while the domestic production only reached 2.3 million tons a year.

"The production decline is caused by the decrease in the number of sugar plantation," Beddu told journalists after a seminar for students of Social Economy and Agricultural.

There are 68 sugar plantations now, down from 100 plantations before the country gained its independence in 1945, he said.

Rapid development had shifted the role of many of the plantations, he said, adding that many plantations in Java did not function efficiently anymore now.

Some plantations produced only between 1,000 and 2,000 tons, he said yesterday.

"Plantations which do not function efficiently should be closed down," he said.

To increase the country's production of sugar, the government planned to establish 20 sugar plantations outside of Java island, he said.

Beddu said the proposed plantations would be located in South and Southeast Sulawesi, East Timor, and Irian Jaya.

"Each plantation would probably be located on a 600-hectare plot, which would give us about 10 million hectare of sugar field," he said.

Beddu said he was optimistic that the additional plantations would provide sufficient amount of sugar for the country.

Noting on government's role in establishing the price of unhusked rice in the country, Bedu said during the seminar, the government established the price to avoid a drastic plunge on the price.

"The government establish the price to guarantee farmers fair price for their productions," he said.

He said the government's effort the establish the price had helped the country to become self sufficient in supplying the consumers' need of to rice. (ahy/02)