Rice production predicted to rise

Rice production predicted to rise

JAKARTA (Antara): Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah estimated yesterday that 51 million tons of unhusked rice would be produced domestically this year, up from 49.74 million tons last year.

He said although this figure was higher than the revised target of 50.03 million, it was lower than the initial target of 51.6 million tons.

He said 50.03 million tons of unhusked rice was equivalent to 32 tons of rice.

With an annual consumption rate of 130 kilograms of rice per capita, the country's 195 million people were estimated to eat 25.9 million tons of rice this year, the minister said.

"Thus, people need not worry. Rice stocks are enough to feed the people," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

The government revised the target for unhusked rice production down to 50.03 million tons in October from its initial projection of 51.6 million tons.

Based on the October target, unhusked rice production would exceed 1995's output by 0.58 percent (288,024 tons) and exceed 1994's by 7.27 percent (3.39 million tons).

He said the area of harvested paddy fields had decreased this year. But rice production grew because paddy fields were becoming more productive.

The productivity rate of paddy fields rose to 4.4 tons a hectare this year, up 1.1 percent on last year.

He said improved irrigation systems and a better climate had helped increase this year's crop.

The minister said the country would have had to have harvested 11.6 million hectares of paddy fields to reach its initial target.

Between January and August, only 11.39 million hectares of paddy fields had been harvested. Another 256,890 hectares of paddy fields would have to be harvested between September and December to reach the target, he said. (jsk)