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Indonesia set to export 100,000 tons of rice in 2017
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Farmers carry paddy, which they will mill at a milling factory in Ngawi, East Java. (Antara/Ari Bowo Sucipto)
T
he nation is set to export some 100,000 tons of rice this year as the commodity’s production is estimated to reach a surplus, an official has said.
Mat Syukur, an expert staffer at the Agriculture Minister’s division for trade and international affairs, said on Tuesday that the export plan would not affect domestic supply.
“At the very least, we will export 100,000 tons of rice as planned by the minister,” said Syukur as reported by tempo.co, adding that the rice production target this year was 40 million tons, a figure that would meet domestic demand.
Syukur said the country had planned to become one of the world’s top rice producers by 2045.
In trying to boost rice production, the government had introduced a number of programs including the improvement of irrigation and expansion of rice fields, including the clearance of 3 million hectares for new rice fields.
The government would also deliver tractors to help farmers cultivate their paddy fields, while to further incentivize farmers, the government would help cover premiums for farmers’ insurance, Syukur said.
With the program, the farmers would get compensation if their fields failed to yield. “The government will pay 80 percent of insurance premiums,” said Syukur, adding that Rp 6 million (US$450) compensation had been prepared for each hectare that failed. (bbn)
