Indonesia
has succeeded in achieving self-sufficiency in corn, as domestic production has
reached 90 percent of domestic demand, the Agriculture Ministry announced proudly
on Wednesday.
"We have become self-sufficient in corn and have also begun exporting the
product. However, this does not mean that imports have stopped. But domestic
production is now meeting 90 percent of national demand. In 2008 we also
exported corn," the ministry's director general of food crops, Sutarto
Alimoeso, said.
In 2008, Indonesia
imported 170,000 tons of corn and exported 150,000 tons.
Exports may still increase. This year the production target had been set at
around 18 million tons, of which one million tons would be exported, Sutarto
said.
Previously, the Agriculture Ministry had predicted domestic corn production to
increase 14 percent this year.
National corn production in 2008 rose more than 22 percent, from 16.3 million
tons in 2007.
The area of corn plantations has been increasing while productivity is also growing,
with the use of "superior" seed stocks, Sutarto said.
The government subsidizes seed prices for rice, corn and beans. Besides the seed
subsidy it also helps farmers to obtain supplies of superior seeds and seeds from
national reserves.
For 2009, the agriculture ministry had allocated a corn seed subsidy for
producing 4,266 tons of corn, on an area of 225,534 hectares.
Seed assistance taken from national seed supplies for farmers will reach 5,595
tons for an area of 353,000 hectares. Direct top seed assistance, totaling
7,610 tons, meanwhile has been allocated for an area of 507,333 hectares.
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