JP/1/Paddy

Improve rice production: Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto called for increased efficiency in rice production to maintain the country's self- sufficiency in the staple.

"We have to maintain our self-sufficiency in rice, which we have achieved since 1984, because one of the goals of our development programs is meeting our people's needs for food, clothing and housing," he said in a ceremony in Subang, West Java on Saturday to mark the beginning of the harvest of rice planted under an intensification program.

The program is being implemented simultaneously in Subang, Sukoharjo of Central Java and Jombang of East Java, in which urea tablets are used to make ricefields more fertile.

The President chronicled Indonesia's efforts beginning 25 years ago to increase rice production through the use of fertilizer, pesticides, high-yield seeds, irrigation and better plantation systems.

"We must continue to increase efficiency through intensification programs," he told government officials and farmers attending the ceremony.

The ceremony was also attended by First Lady Tien Soeharto, Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah, State Minister of Food Ibrahim Hasan and Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono.

Soeharto said the use of urea tablets, instead of urea in bulk, can increase productivity by 10 percent and reduce costs for fertilizer utilization.

"The use of urea tablets, therefore, can help increase farmers' incomes by Rp 225,000 (US$105) per hectare," he noted.

He said using urea tablets can also help the country save some 600 tons of fertilizer each year, thereby increasing its export potential.

Indonesia currently operates five fertilizer plants with a total capacity of six million tons a year.

Minister Sjarifudin said the pilot project on the use of urea tablets will be expanded this year to 15 locations across the archipelago. (riz)