Rice production falls by 3.69%

Rice production falls by 3.69%

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah announced here yesterday that rice production dropped this year, while other commodity crops did well.

Sjarifudin told a press conference that based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, rice production is predicted to have decreased due to this years' long dry season and rainy season flooding.

"This year's production of unhusked rice is estimated to reach only 46.4 million tons, down by 3.69 percent from 48.18 million tons in 1993," he said

The drop was partly caused by delays in planting due to the prolonged dry season.

He also said that flooding during the February-April period resulted in poorer that usual rice harvests.

The data also show that this year's production of cassava can be expected to decrease by 8.24 percent to 15.83 million tons, soybeans by 8.92 percent to 1.55 million tons, peanuts by 5.24 percent to 605,000 tons, tea by 0.07 percent to 151,000 tons, pepper by 1.6 percent to 59,000 tons and cacao by 0.03 percent to 227,000 tons.

The agricultural products whose outputs are expected to show increases this year include corn, horticultural crops, fish, meat, eggs, milk, rubber, palm oil, coconuts, cashews and coffee.

"Production of meat, milk and eggs, for instance, increased by 8.12 percent, 5.17 percent and 6.82 percent respectively," he said, adding that fishery output this year increased by 5.5 percent from 1993.

Sjarifudin also predicted that the country's production of unhusked rice should rise by more than eight percent to 50.15 million tons next year.

He said the operation of several irrigation dams beginning this year and the utilization of urea tablets are expected to spur rice production next year.

Sjarifudin said that the government plans to keep monitoring the price of rice because farmers are still considered to lack the leverage to determine crop values.

"We will let farmers arrange rice prices themselves when their position is secure. They still need guarantees for their earnings," he said.

He said that the government has anticipated a possible delay in the planting season, the dry season and other weather changes into next year. (icn)