Rice self-sufficiency is safe: Govt

JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday assured the country that it will remain self-sufficient in rice this year in spite of the severe drought that has affected rice fields in a number of provinces.

"We project that this year's harvest will produce 27.7 million tons of husked rice, while our consumption will reach 26.7 million tons," Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono told reporters after a meeting with President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace here yesterday.

Moerdiono met the President together with Coordinating Minister for Economy and Finance Saleh Afiff, Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah and State Minister of Food/Chairman of the Logistics Board Ibrahim Hasan to report the latest development of the country's rice fields during this dry season.

"The very severe drought will reduce our rice production but our self-sufficiency in rice is still safe," Moerdiono said.

The current drought, according to the Agriculture Ministry on Monday, has affected about 843,000 hectares of rice fields, 150,000 hectares of which were completely damaged.

The amount of damaged area increased 39,000 hectares, up from the 111,000 hectares figure given last month by Director General of Food Crops and Horticulture Amrin Kahar.

Kahar also predicted that the drought may slash four percent off this year's rice output level, down from last year's production level of 48.1 million tons of unhusked rice.

Although self-sufficiency is still safe, Moerdiono added that rice must still be imported to "strengthen our supply."

He said Indonesia recently imported about 400,000 tons of rice, most as repayments of rice loans.

Minister of Food Ibrahim Hasan said recently that Indonesia plans to import in a total of 665,000 tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand under counter-trade and loan-payment plans.(hdj)