Rice production set to rise 8.3% next year
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)