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Indonesia may import up to five million tonnes of rice until 2024, agriculture minister says
Indonesia may need to import more rice in 2024 as national rice production is expected to drop because of El Niño.
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Quenched hectares: A farmer plows his rice field on Sept. 26 in Bulungcangkring village, Kudus regency, Central Java. Farmers in the village have planted rice on 700 hectares of land despite an ongoing drought, thanks to water from the nearby Logung dam. (Antara/Yusuf Nugroho)
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griculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said that Indonesia may need to import up to 5 million tonnes of rice by 2024, citing the impacts of the El Niño climate phenomenon on rice production.
"This year, Indonesia decided to import 3.5 million tonnes of rice and there’s a possibility that we could reach 5 million in 2024," Amran said on Monday during a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission IV, which oversees agriculture, environment, fisheries and food security issues.
Amran said the 5 million tonnes was the total import from 3.5 million tonnes to be imported this year and an additional 2 million tonnes to be imported in 2024.
Amran said the shift in Indonesia's status from being self-sufficient in rice to becoming an importer is caused by a decline in national rice production from El Niño.
The national rice production is estimated to drop to 30 million tonnes in 2023 from 31 million tonnes in the previous year.
Furthermore, 2024’s rice harvest season may be delayed by two months, which could lead to further shortages and price increases.
In addition to El Niño, Amran added that turbulent geopolitical conflicts also worsened the situation by disrupting food distribution and causing export restrictions from food-producing countries.
