Rice production set to rise 8.3% next year

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's rice production, which is projected to decline by 3.85 percent this year, is set to increase by 8.3 percent next year to 53.2 million tons of unhusked rice.

Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah said the prolonged drought plaguing the country this year had delayed the planting season to the later part of this year and the harvest would come next year.

"The delay in rice planting will eventually adversely affect rice production in 1998, especially for January and February," Sjarifudin said at a working session with the House of Representatives Commission III for agriculture, forestry, transmigration and food affairs.

Sjarifudin projected that the output of unhusked rice would only reach 1.4 million tons for January and 2.8 million tons for February.

But rice production would top 10.2 million tons in March and 10.5 million tons in April as a result of the delay in the previous year's planting season.

Rice output would reach 5.3 million tons in May, 3.2 million tons in June, 3.8 million tons in July, 4.9 million tons in August, 4.1 million tons in September, 2.6 million tons in October, 1.7 million tons in November and 1.4 million tons in December.

Schedules

"We have completed monthly planting schedules for all provinces to reach the target of 53.2 million tons of unhusked rice for 1998," Sjarifudin said.

Rice is the main staple food for most of Indonesia's 200 million people.

He said the current drought plaguing the country would bring down the country's rice production to 49.1 million tons from 51 million tons last year.

Although some experts say that this year's drought was the worst in 50 years, Sjarifudin contended yesterday that the effect was not as bad as that recorded in 1991.

He said the 1991 drought damaged 847,917 hectares of rice fields. But this year's drought destroyed only 476,277 hectares of rice fields, including 209 hectares burned by forest fires.

"So, the impact of this year's drought is relatively small, compared to 1991," Sjarifudin said.

Most destroyed rice fields are in West, Central and East Java, South Sulawesi, Lampung, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan and North Sumatra.

Despite the decline in rice output for this year, Sjarifudin said there was no need to worry about a domestic shortage because husked rice consumption would still be below production levels.

He said the country's population would consume only about 26.3 million tons this year, while husked rice production would reach 31.3 million tons. Thus, there would be almost 5 million tons in surplus.

For 1998, husked rice consumption would stand at 26.7 million tons, while production would reach 34.6 million tons.

"If we can meet our husked rice production target of 34.6 million tons for next year, we will book a surplus of 7.2 million tons of unhusked rice," Sjarifudin said. (rid)