Indonesia to import 2 million tonnes of rice by year-end

Illustrative image (Photo: AFP)

Hanoi (VNA) - Indonesia will import 2 million tonnes of rice by the end of this year to deal with the impending drought caused by El Nino, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on April 6.

The President stated that the import of rice aims to keep the State Logistics Agency's stockpiles and stabilise domestic prices because El Nino will cause a protracted drought and affect the country's rice production.

Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo said the first batch of rice imports will be up to 500,000 tonnes and be sent as soon as feasible.

The harvest of rice from March to May is a priority for rice supply, Prasetyo said, adding but it is not enough to meet the needs of a population of over 270 million.

The Southeast Asian country imported about 400,000 tonnes of rice in 2021 and 320,000 tonnes in 2022, according to Statistics Indonesia./.

VNA