Rice focus has stunted progress in fruit

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has been slow in developing studies in the science and technology of fruit cultivation because it has put most of its efforts into achieving self-sufficiency in rice, an official says.

"The Ministry of Agriculture only started to seriously focus on the development of local fruit about two years ago, when imported fruit had already invaded the domestic market," said Pudjo Tjiptono of the ministry's Directorate General of Food Crops and Horticulture.

Indonesia, formerly the biggest rice importer in the world, became self-sufficient in rice in 1984. However, a substantial decline in domestic production resulting from the prolonged dry season forced the country to import rice again last year.

Pudjo said at the press conference yesterday that Indonesia's climate will lend itself to becoming a tropical fruit-producing country. In addition, he expressed confidence that the country's farmers will be able to produce high-quality fruit.

On the same occasion, Mohammad Amin, vice committee chairman of the 1995 Food Festival, announced that the festival would be held in the Mekarsari fruit garden in Cileungsi, Bogor, south of here.

The two-day festival, which is held in line with this year's World Food Day on Oct. 16, will be launched by President Soeharto on Saturday.

Amin said that this year's World Food Day theme of "Food for All" will be supported the national theme of "Fruit and Vegetables Improve Human Resources".

Soeharto is also scheduled to officially open the Mekarsari fruit garden on Saturday.

The 264-hectare garden was established on a plot of land which formerly belonged to the state-owned plantation firm PTP VII.

The initiative to create the garden, Amin said, came from First Lady Tien Soeharto.

The garden has 88 hectares of fruit plantations with 407 varieties of fruit. Twenty hectares of the garden consist of 2,709 types of hard-crop fruit and 175,382 types of shrubs.

Amin declined to disclose the amount spent on the garden, saying that the construction was fully handled by the Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Foundation, which is headed by Mrs. Tien.

Meanwhile, the garden's daily activities will be managed by PT Mekar Unggul Sari, owned by Soeharto's youngest daughter, Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih, better known as Mamiek. (pwn)