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Govt to increase raw sugar import by 381,000 tons
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An employee carries a sack of sugar on his shoulder. Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said the government had decided to import 381,000 tons of raw sugar. (Tempo/-)
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n a bid to stabilize sugar prices in the market, the government has confirmed its decision to increase raw sugar imports, citing a quota of 381,000 tons, in addition to its previous import quota of 192,000 tons.
Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said the government had appointed two state-owned firms, PTPN and RNI, to import 381,000 tons of raw sugar and then process it for consumption.
He further said that 102,000 out of 192,000 tons of sugar imported by PT PPI had been distributed to several regions, including Jakarta, Central Java, Jambi, South Sumatra and West Java.
"We distributed the sugar through market operations at a selling price of between Rp 11,500 to Rp 12,000 per kg in regions experiencing the highest sugar price rise," Lembong said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The minister explained that other countries such as Brazil and Australia had also experienced an increase in the price of sugar this year. "Of course, this has had an impact on the price of sugar in the domestic market," he said.
The government has also issued an additional beef import quota of 23,200 tons for private importers, in addition to the previous beef import quota of 27,400 tons. Permits to import an additional 5,000 tons of shallots were also granted, in addition to the import quota of 2,500 tons of shallot seeds.
The government plans to conduct a massive market operation, Lembong further said, with an aim to stabilize staple food prices, particularly rice. During Ramadhan, state logistics company Bulog was set to distribute 390,000 tons of rice per month through market operations. Bulog normally distributes 150,000 tons of rice per month.
Agriculture Minister Amran Suleiman said that national rice stock stood at 2 million tons, double the stock available last year. Meanwhile, chili stocks have reached 102,000 tons, exceeding expected consumer demand during Ramadhan and Idul Fitri festivities, an estimated 89,000 tons.
He said consumer demand for chicken was estimated to reach 112,000 tons, below available supply, which currently rests at 256,000 tons. Likewise, the demand for eggs was estimated to reach 131,000 tons, while the available supply sits at 261,000 tons.
"Meanwhile, cooking oil stocks stand at 1.8 million tons, four to five times higher than demand. However, the price of cooking oil has also increased. We have met with producers and managed to cut the price by 5.2 percent," he said. (ebf)
