RI expected to enjoy rice surplus of 2 million tons in 2008

The Agriculture Ministry has expressed optimism that the country will enyoy a dry unhusked rice surplus of 2 million tons this year.

Director General of Food Crops Sutarto Alimoeso said on Tuesday the optimism was based on the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS)`s forecast that the country`s rice output in 2008 would increase by 4.76 percent from a year earlier.

"We hope the increase will exceed the forecast so that we will enjoy a surplus of 2 million tons and do not need to import the staple this year," he said.

The BPS has projected the country`s dry unhusked rice production this year to reach 59.88 million tons, up by 2.72 million tons from 2007 due to an increase in the land area of harvested paddy field by 237,610 hectares and an increase in the productivity of paddy field by 130 kg/hectare.

Last year, Indonesia`s dry unhusked rice output rose by 4.98 percent or 2.70 million tons from 2006, leaving the country to enjoy a surplus of 1.5 million tons, he said.

In 2006, the country enjoyed a dry unhusked rice surplus of 50,000 tons, he added.

Sutarto said he would ask the National Land Agency (BPN) to allow rice growers to use idle land.

"We have millions of hectares of idle land. However, our farmers cannot make use of it," he said.

source: Antar | July 2008