Soeharto warns of possible food crisis

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto warned the nation yesterday over a possible food shortage due to the long drought which may continue into December.

Soeharto ordered related ministers to take necessary measures in ensuring a smooth distribution of food, including sugar, cooking oil, rice and wheat flour, across the country.

The government plans to prioritize remote areas, as harvest time is likely to be delayed.

With the failure of many crops this year, Soeharto said the food crisis could become more serious as it coincides with Christmas and the Ramadhan fasting month which begins in January.

"If the harvest season is postponed, people will run out of rice stock. I'm worried that it will trigger anxiety," Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah quoted Soeharto as saying.

The next harvest season is expected to occur in March.

In the meeting at Soeharto's residence on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta, Sjarifudin was accompanied by Minister of Industry and Trade Tunky Ariwibowo and chairman of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Beddu Amang.

To abate the dry spell, Sjarifudin disclosed the government's plan to make artificial rain in several drought-stricken areas in Java and other needy provinces.

Many areas across the country have been hit by a long dry spell causing at least 112,000 hectares of rice fields to dry up by early August.

This year's condition however is not as bad as in 1994 when over 544,000 hectares of rice paddies were damaged by drought.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency predicted earlier this year that the rainy season would not start until December, three months later than usual.

Despite the predicament, Beddu remained confident that Bulog would not have to import rice. He claimed that the national rice stock was more than enough until next March.

"We don't need to import rice because we have three million tons of rice stock," Beddu said.

To help accelerate the distribution of food, Soeharto suggested that Bulog recommend to appropriate institutions to issue bank guarantees to distributors who face liquidity problems as a result of the currency fluctuation.

"This system will also help us withdraw rupiah from the market," Beddu quoted the President as saying.

Tunky added that he had also been ordered to ensure the smooth distribution of cement and fertilizer. (prb)