RI wheat imports may reach 5m tons

RI wheat imports may reach 5m tons

LONDON (Reuter): Indonesia may import at least five million tons of wheat for its flour mills by the year 2000, with Australia capturing the bulk of the business,a top Indonesian miller said yesterday.

"Our country's imports this year will be around four million tons and by the year 2000 I foresee five million tons, taking a conservative estimate," Piet Yap, director and general manager of Bogasari Flour Mills, told delegates attending the annual session of the International Grains Council.

"These days Australia has a commanding lead in supplying us and, all things being equal, I expect that country to continue to capture a large portion of our purchases," he added.

Yap also said Canada ranked second as a wheat supplier to Indonesia with the United States and Argentina sharing the third place.

Rapid population growth, industrialization and better living standards have increased demand for processed food in Indonesia. Per capita flour consumption is now about 13 kilo from seven in the early seventies.

A large part of the flour produced in Indonesia is used to produce instant noodles, a very popular food, he said.

Indonesia has four flour mills with a daily milling capacity of 17,000 tons and a fifth mill of a daily capacity of 1,000 tons is scheduled to start production at the end of the year in the Java island.