TEMPO.CO, Makassar - Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said that corn imports have dropped by 60 percent.
"Thank God our hard work pays off. And especially for corns, corn imports decreased by 60 persent. It is such a dramatic decrease," He said in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Saturday (15/10).
He added that that in addition to a significant decrease of corn imports, other commodities have shown positive developments. Among others, chilli imports and onion imports are no longer needed, and we can even export the onions.
The minister wen on to say that such results are due to changes in policy and revolutions in several sectors.
He further stated that the main consideration for imports is the actual level of needs, not the interest of a particular group of people to gain profit that eventually leads to corruption, collusion, and nepotism.
"So, we have to avoid bad practices. Imports have to be based on needs, not on other considerations," claimed Andi Amran Sulaiman.
ABD KADIR | ANTARA