Tragedy of excess
Tragedy of excess
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) director for Asia Pacific, Yusuke Horiguchi, has predicted that the Indonesian economy will grow by more than 4 percent this year while inflation will remain within a single digit. Arigato, Horiguchi, San, honto (Thank you, Mr. Horiguchi, really).
But I would also like to thank the governor of Central Java, Mardiyanto, for stopping (at least he has issued the order to that effect) rice imports entering through the port of Semarang, or coming by road or sea into the territory under his jurisdiction from other parts of Indonesia.
The central government through its logistics agency has stepped up its purchases of unhusked rice. But it did little to stop the slide of the price of, for instance, the Ciasadane-type of rice, from Rp 2,250 per kg to Rp 1,800. Unhusked paddy that was sold just a week ago for Rp 1,300 per kg plunged to only Rp 900. The situation is now that imported rice is cheaper to buy than locally produced rice.
Rice imported through Tanjung Priok harbor has reached a surplus of about 60 percent, or a level of 50,000 tons. In Central Java, most farmers have an additional burden, to repay loans they have received from cooperatives. The real harvest time, when markets will be inundated by unhulled paddy, will come in a month's time, and will only serve to make matters worse.
It is indeed a frightening prospect for the rice farmers and their families, who have been toiling hard this year to pay back their loans and have little left for other expenses. No wonder that a delegation of rice farmers from West Java visited the House of Representatives and urged the authorities to do something about the situation.
A group of sugar cane growers earlier complained that imported sugar costs less than domestically produced sugar. How could they gain a "reasonable profit"? I have no answer except to urge foreign investors, foreigners and ambassadors to consume more local rice, such as Cianjur, not just Ramos.
Governer c'est prevoir (to govern is looking ahead), the French might say. After his return from Havana, Cuba, maybe President Abdurrahman Wahid will come up with a magic formula. The farmers are waiting, that is for sure!
GANDHI SUKARDI
Jakarta