USDA to give wheat, soybean meal to Indonesia

USDA to give wheat, soybean meal to Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): The United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) announced on Tuesday it would donate approximately 10,000
metric tons of soybean meal and 30,000 metric tons of wheat to
Indonesia, in order to support the latter's agricultural
development and local noodle makers.

In a statement made available to The Jakarta Post, the general
sales manager of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Services,
Christopher E. Goldthwait, said the 30,000 metric tons of wheat
would be given to the International Relief and Development, a
private voluntary organization, for monetization in Indonesia.

The organization would use the wheat as in-kind loans to
small-scale noodle producers in the greater Jakarta area who have
suffered as a result of the economic crisis.

Proceeds from the sale of the noodles will be used to start a
revolving credit fund that can be utilized by other noodle
producers in the area.

Goldthwait said the soybean meal would be given to ACDI/VOCA,
also a private voluntary organization, which would sell the
commodity through a competitive bidding process to Indonesian
buyers.

Proceeds from the sales would then be used for agricultural
development in Indonesia, such as the advancement of local small
and medium-sized poultry producers.

Goldthwait said both donations would be made under USDA's Food
for progress program. Deliveries are scheduled for the 1999/2000
fiscal year. (gis)