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Indonesia likely to import rice after El Nino affects harvest

Xinhua, September 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Indonesian government is likely to ship rice from overseas as El Nino causes failure in harvests at some areas, Vice President Jusuf Kalla disclosed here on Monday.

El Nino has triggered drought and prolonged harvest as well as disturbed cultivation in paddy rice fields.

Vice President Kalla said that the country's rice outputs may not be sufficient for the compliance of the demand of most of the country's 250 million populations.

"Therefore, we are open on possibility for rice importation. We must be open (on import). This is a problem of drought," he said at Borobudur Hotel.

Mr. Kalla argued that the country's rice stockpile is not sufficient to meet with rice demand of the population.

"The rice stockpile at the national logistic agency is only 1.5 million tons, while the demand of whole of the population is 2.5 to 3 million tons (per year)," he said.

The Indonesian government has created artificial rains and distributed hundreds of pumps to water down some areas which have suffered from drought.

The prolonged dry season has caused over 200,000 hectares rice field across the country a lack of water and 30,000 hectares of which has failed in harvest, according to agriculture ministry.

Moderate impact of El Nino will hit Indonesia from August to December with the peak in September, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

In 1998, El Nino attacked Indonesia with severe impact, pushing the government to import 5 million tons of foods, said Kalla.

El Nino is a warming of the sea's surface in the Pacific that occurs every four to 12 years. Endi