Indonesia considers importing 1 million tons of rice from India next year
Indonesia is set to face a 2.43% decline in rice production in 2023, resulting in an estimated output of 30.34 million metric tons. In anticipation of potential supply gaps, especially in the December-February period when output is low, the government is considering importing an additional 1 million metric tons of rice from India in early 2025. To enhance domestic production and strive for food self-reliance, Indonesia plans to open up to 1 million hectares of new rice fields by 2025.
Indonesia’s rice output is estimated to fall 2.43% this year to 30.34 million metric tons, due to a delay in planting and harvest season amid longer dry weather in 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
Indonesia is considering a plan to import 1 million metric tons of rice from India in 2025 to secure supply until its main harvest, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said after a meeting of food and agricultural officials on Tuesday (Oct 29). Indonesia’s rice output is estimated to fall 2.43% this year to 30.34 million metric tons, due to a delay in planting and harvest season amid longer dry weather in 2023, the statistics bureau said earlier this month. “We need an additional 1 million tons … so that we can go through February. Output in December-February period is usually lower,” Head of National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi told reporters after the meeting with Hasan.
Rice is a staple for most of Indonesia’s 280 million population and the main rice harvest typically starts in March. Indonesia’s rice imports have jumped in the past two years, reaching over 3 million metric tons each year. The South-east Asian country aims to import up to 3.6 million tons of rice this year. It also plans to open between 750,000 hectares and 1 million hectares of new rice fields in 2025 to achieve President Prabowo Subianto’s target of food self-reliance.
Recommended for you
