Rice production to drop, drought delays harvest
Rice production to drop, drought delays harvest
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's unhusked rice production this year
is expected to reach 45 million tons, only 84.3 percent of its
initial target of 53.25 million tons.
Sjarifudin Karama, secretary general of the ministry of
agriculture, said the lower rice production was due to the severe
drought in several provinces.
He said the prolonged dry season, which affected most of the
country's provinces until the end of last year, had delayed the
planting season by two months.
"The delay in rice planting will adversely affect rice
production in 1998. This year production will be about 45 million
tons of unhusked rice."
He said the rainy season, which should have started in
October, had not reached provinces in Sumatra, Sulawesi and
Kalimantan.
The country's rice planting areas, which covered 6.24 million
hectares in the 1997/1998 planting season, were expected to
decrease 43 percent to 4.36 million hectares in 1998/1999 due to
the drought, he said.
Rice planting areas last year covered only 86.12 percent of
the initial target of 7.25 million hectares.
Indonesia's rice output reached 49.13 million tons of unhusked
rice last year, a drop of 3.85 percent from its figure of 51.10
million tons in 1996.
Sjarifudin said harvesting usually started in February and
peaked in April, but this year it would likely start in March due
to the delay in planting.
He said the government had been trying to boost the country's
rice production to surpass its target by implementing intensive-
planting programs in several productive areas.
Rice growing areas in Indonesia harvest between one and three
times a year, depending on the type of rice, climate and
irrigation system.
Most provinces usually begin rice planting around October --
the start of the rainy season -- and begin harvesting in
February. Due to the prolonged dry season last year, many farmers
began their rice planting in December.
Sjarifudin said the Japanese government had agreed to
distribute a grant in the form of 500,000 tons of unhusked rice
to help the country overcome its food shortage problems. (gis)