Minister Denies Surge in Rice Import
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Kamis, 23 Juli 2015 16:16 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel on Thursday, July 23, 2015, denied that there was an increase in rice import volume in June 2015. Rachmat claimed that the import volume was normal.
Rachmat added that Indonesia had only imported special rice for people with diabetes, which is not produced in the country. The Minister insisted that the country had not imported ny rice intended for daily consumption.
According to Rachmat, instead of increasing, the rice import quota set in 2015 is lower compared to 2014. However, Rachmat stopped short of providing details about the exact figure.
Previously, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said that rice import volume in June had increased by 130 percent to 49,000 tons, equals to US$22.31 million compared to 20,000 tons in May (US$9.62 million). The largest import was recorded from Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Myanmar.
URSULA FLORENE
