Indonesia's rice production seen declining 6.25% this year

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's unhusked rice output is expected to drop 6.25 percent to 46.29 million metric tons this year, down from 49.38 million tons in 1996, due to the planting season being delayed by the drought, the Central Bureau of Statistics announced yesterday.

The government earlier estimated this year's rice production would drop by 3.80 percent.

The bureau said the severe drought which hit the country last year and the delayed rice planting season affected the supply of water to many rice-producing regions and led to reduced yields and crop failure.

The drought reduced rice-planting areas by 4.13 percent to 10.68 million hectares this year from 11.14 million hectares last year, the bureau said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.

Reduction of fertilizers and pesticides used in rice farming has also resulted in a downward trend in the volume of rice production, the bureau said, attributing this to farmers no longer being able to afford fertilizers.

The bureau said the lack of Kalium chloride (KCl) and superphospate (TSP) fertilizer in rice farming will hit both quantity and quality, and make crops more vulnerable to disease.

It said that rice productivity this year dropped 2.21 percent to 43.34 quintals of unhusked rice per hectare from 44.32 quintals last year, due to the lack of KCl and TSP fertilizers used in the rice farming.

Minister of Agriculture Soleh Solahuddin announced last month that the KCl subsidy, which had been abolished, would be reintroduced to help boost rice production.

Soleh said the government's subsidy would be Rp 1,250, or 60 percent of its current price of Rp 2,100, per kilogram.

"If we can subsidize it by Rp 1,250, farmers can buy KCl fertilizer at Rp 850 (per kilogram)," he added.

The bureau also announced increased production of several crops. The country's corn production this year is expected to reach 9.17 million tons, up 4.56 percent from 8.77 million tons last year.

Soybean production is expected to increase 2.21 percent to 1.39 million tons this year from 1.36 million tons in 1997 while green bean production is predicted to jump 11.54 percent to 290,000 tons compared to 260,000 tons last year.

Cassava production is estimated to reach 16.05 million tons this year, up 6.08 percent from 15.13 million tons in 1997.

The country's peanut production, however, is expected to decline 2.4 percent to 670,000 tons this year from 690,000 tons in 1997, while sweet potato production is expected to reach 1.8 million tons, down 2.7 percent from 1.85 million tons last year.

Indonesia is expected to import 3.1 million tons of rice from Thailand, India, China, Vietnam and Pakistan to make up for shortages in domestic production this year. (gis)