Quenched hectares: A farmer plows his rice field on Sept. 26 in Bulungcangkring village, Kudus regency, Central Java. (Photo:antaranews.com) Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman on November 13 said that the country will need to import up to 5 million tonnes of rice by 2024, citing the impact of the El Niño climate phenomenon on rice production.
Speaking during a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission IV, which oversees agriculture, environment, fisheries and food security issues, Amran said that this year, Indonesia decided to import 3.5 million tonnes of rice and there’s a possibility that the country can reach 5 million in 2024.
The minister shared that Indonesia's rice output is estimated to decrease to 30 million tonnes in 2023 from 31 million tonnes in 2022. In addition, the 2024 rice harvest may be delayed by about two months, causing further supply shortages and hike in prices.
To cope with a downward trend in rice production, the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture has saved 1,000 billion IDR (63.7 million USD) from this year's total budget of 15,000 billion IDR to provide additional finance to the General Department of Food Crops.
In addition, the ministry also proposed that the House of Representatives and the Government add an additional 5.830 trillion IDR to next year's budget, to promote cultivation and increase rice and corn production./.
