Government Adamant to Import Rice Despite Widespread Refusal
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko reassured that the government`s rice import program that is being shipped will not be canceled despite numerous refusals from rice farmers and the public.
“The rice import uses an L/C system and there will be consequences if it is canceled. Based on that fact, canceling the import is not an option,” said Moeldoko on Tuesday evening, February 7.
Read: Govt Opens Rice Import Option
Moeldoko, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), assured that the import will be limited to 500,000 tons and will be used to strengthen the country’s national supply. He explained that the rice imports are meant for general consumption and is not from a specific type of rice.
Moeldoko hopes that the government’s import program should not be linked to the price drop experienced by local rice farmers. The government must be able to fulfill the need of the country’s annual average rice consumption of 114 kilograms.
Along with the public’s consumption, the national rice stock is slowly decreasing from time to time and makes importing rice as the solution to guarantee the adequate amount of rice supply in order to fulfill society’s needs.
Bisnis.com
