tatistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Wednesday a new projection on rice production, which was based on new methodology jointly developed by several institutions in trying to provide more accurate rice data in the country.
The harvested areas between January and September reached 9.54 million hectares, according to BPS data, with the projection that it would increase to 10.9 million ha by the end of this year.
The areas are estimated to produce 32.42 million tons of rice throughout 2018, slightly above the annual rice consumption estimate of 29.57 million tons, BPS data reveals.
The consumption projection was calculated based on an average assumption of 111.58 kilograms per capita per year.
BPS, along with the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), developed methodologies that involve satellite imagery as well as direct observation in 217,053 points that were monitored on a monthly basis, said BPS head Suhariyanto in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Suhariyanto explained that the projected 2.85 million tons of rice surplus in 2018 was not in the form of rice stock that was collected in certain places, but rice that was was stored in various places like warehouses of farmers, restaurants and hotels.
“We have to appreciate what the Agriculture Ministry has done [to increase rice production] but the further question is whether we need a bigger surplus, considering that our average monthly consumption is around 2.5 million tons,” said Suhariyanto. (bbn)
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