Jokowi Talks of Difficulties in Finding Rice Importing Countries
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15 September 2023 13:10 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Bogor - Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo disclosed that the government was facing difficulties in finding a rice-importing country as many states are restricting their food exports, including India.
Speaking at the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) on Friday, September 15, 2023, he outlined the challenges that Indonesia could potentially face, including the food crisis. He alluded to Indonesia’s strong efforts to increase the national strategic rice reserves.
“Even if we want to import, the commodities are difficult to obtain, unlike before. Finding [food commodities] is very difficult now, because [many countries] want to save their people, feed their own people,” the President said.
Indonesia is exploring the possibility of importing rice from India and China. He mentioned this plan when visiting the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) Dramaga warehouse in Bogor on September 11, 2023.
He claimed to have spoken with a number of world leaders such as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, about the possibility of importing more rice.
Indonesia has just imported 250,000 tons of rice from Cambodia, Jokowi said when he received Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Jakarta State Palace, on September 4, 2023.
According to Jokowi, Indonesia currently has two million tons of rice stocks; 1.6 million tons in warehouses, and the rest 400,000 tons in transit, including those from Cambodia. He stressed that the government needs imports to prevent commodity prices from rising. “Production will definitely fall because of El Nino, although the numbers will not be much,” he said on Monday.
In his speech at IPB, Jokowi said this is the reality that Indonesia had to face. However, he encouraged all parties to remain optimistic and look for solutions to overcome this problem.
“With the existing challenges, we need massive innovations, breakthroughs, big steps forward. The global food crisis [could be] an opportunity for Indonesia to become a food estate,” Jokowi said.
DANIEL A. FAJRI
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