JAKARTA (TheInsiderStories) - Indonesia government plan to import around 360,000 ton of rice, 600,000 ton of corn, 388,000 ton of meat, 2.9 million ton of white crystal sugar and raw sugar in 2016, said senior minister for economic affairs on Thursday.
Based on government data, Darmin Nasution explained, in January 2016, Indonesia through state own Logistics Agency (BULOG) will have rice stock about 1 million ton and will increases to 1.35 million ton by March.
“Harvest expected to be shifted into April because of El Nino. In hence to meet the needs in our country will import rice,” He said.
Indonesia, which is battling dry weather caused by the El Nino weather pattern, already has a contingency plan in place to import rice from Vietnam if needed. Vietnam has a commitment to supply 1.5 million ton of rices for Indonesia.
According to CEO of BULOG Djarot Kusumayakti, the agency also been talks with Thai rice sellers for about 500,000 tonnes, by adding that suppliers were also being sought in Myanmar, Cambodia and Pakistan.
The government had given Bulog a target to buy 4 million ton of rice from domestic producers in 2015, but the agency has so far only procured around 2.5 million ton of rice.
Darmin elaborated further, to meet the domestic needs on meat about 675,000 ton, government will import 338,000 ton of meat or equal to 600,000 of cattle in first half of 2016. In January, government estimated meat stock around 116,000 ton.
While for white crystal and raw sugar the domestic demand is estimating reached 5 million ton and. Early 2016, He said, the country will have stock 840,600 ton of sugar and needs to import around 2.9 million ton of sugar.