Japan aids rice production

JAKARTA (JP): The Japanese government has agreed to provide Rp 1.7 billion in soft loans to boost Indonesia's rice, corn and soybean production, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Agriculture.

The ministry's Director General of Food Crops and Horticulture Chairil Anwar Rasahan said that the loans, which would be provided by Japan's Overseas Economic Cooperation Funds (OECF), would be used to finance the two-year project.

The project will be effective from the 1999/2000 fiscal year through 2001/2002 fiscal year, he said.

"The project will focus, among other things, on rehabilitating irrigation systems, providing before and after-harvest equipment, farmers' training and consulting, and improving farmers' institutions," Chairil said. (gis)