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Rice imports back in spotlight as govt plans to buy up to 1.5m tons
Peak harvest season is expected to fall in early April, while the national average price of dry unhusked rice – the rawest form of rice – dipped 8.08 percent yoy to Rp 4,758 per kg in February.
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A farmer prepares to plant rice seedlings at a paddy in Klapanunggal, Bogor regency, West Java. (JP/P.J.Leo)
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armers' associations have raised their objections to the government’s plan to import between 1 million and 1.5 million tons of rice this year, as the country moves closer to peak harvest season and farmers face falling prices.
Indonesian Farmer Union (SPI) chairman Henry Saragih said the average price of dry unhusked rice in Tuban, East Java, one of the country’s production centers, now stood at Rp 3,700 (26 US cents) per kilogram, lower than the government purchasing price (HPP) of Rp 4,200 per kg.
“The rice import plan ignores the situation farmers are currently facing at home,” Henry said in a press release on Wednesday.
“Right now, various regions in the country are going into the harvest season. Moreover, farmers, especially rice farmers, are dealing with falling unhusked rice prices.”
Peak harvest season is expected to fall in early April, while the national average price of dry unhusked rice – the rawest form of rice – dipped 8.08 percent year-on-year (yoy) to Rp 4,758 per kg in February, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data shows. The price is relatively low but not below the HPP.
Rice imports are a recurring point of contention between the government and farmers' associations. The former imports rice to build reserves to shield the poor from high prices and shortages, while the latter, most of whom are low-income people themselves, seek to sell their yields at the highest possible prices.
Read also: Rice imports always contentious
