IMPORTED RICE BEGINS ARRIVING IN iNDONESIA’S PORTS

Jakarta, 30 Muharram 1437/12 November 22015 (MINA) – Imported rice shipped from Vietnam began to arrive after the government decided to import rice to safeguard the country’s rice reserves following prolonged drought in some areas.

According to Vice President Jusuf kalla, the import is done to meet the supply of rice stocks in several regions in Indonesia due to the delayed harvest season induced by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The imported rice has entered in many ports, not only in Jakarta, Jusuf Kalla said here on Wednesday.

“The most important thing is the government has set aside enough stock of rice. Well, it includes from imports and it does nothing,” he said, adding the prolonged drought led to reduced stock of rice for next year.

“It is carried out for the sake of the people, not for just the good name of someone, to prevent rice prices from rising,” he said.

Earlier, Amran Sulaiman, Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, said these rice imports are merely to safeguard the country’s rice reserves and possibly will not need to be sold on the market.

Indonesia’s powerful food procurement body Bulog still has rice reserves of around 1.4 million tons.

The agency also said local rice farmers have begun to plant rice this month, meaning that the harvest season can start in February. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)