Indonesia will have to import at least 600,000 tonnes of rice by theend of this year to ensure national food reserves, according to localnewspapers.
President of the Indonesian National LogisticsAgency (Bulog) Sutarto Alimoeso was quoted as saying that theGovernment’s policies and measures have tried to promote agriculturalproduction towards its ambitious target of food self-sufficiency by2014, but so far rice imports have been unavoidable.
He addedthe Bulog’s stockpile fell sharply because the Government gave 700,000tonnes of rice to the poor after the fuel price increase on June 17.
Furthermore, agricultural production has been severely affected by extreme climate change and a poor irrigation system.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture forecasts the country’srice output can exceed 69 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of0.31 percent.
The Indonesian Government in July 2012 grantedquotas allowing the Bulog to import one million tonnes of rice. Theagency imported 670,000 tonnes, with 600,000 tonnes sourced fromVietnam.
Indonesia and Vietnam signed amemorandum of understanding in September 2012, under which Vietnamwill provide Indonesia with 1.5 million tonnes of rice each year by2017.-VNA