Immediately work on potential agricultural commodities to be developed. Offer farmers enhanced access to capital, technological innovations, and assistance.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) signalled that rice exports can be conducted in the event of sufficient domestic food stocks.

"If we calculate the rice stocks, and if they are in surplus, then we can export," Jokowi stated at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Saturday.

Jokowi made the statement during the "Release of Sovereign Agricultural Export" event held through videoconferencing connected to 17 port gates of Merdeka Ekspor or Sovereign Export.

"The agriculture minister also conveyed that we have started exporting rice to Saudi Arabia. I reminded that we have made calculations and the existing stocks are adequate in order to cater to the domestic needs. Hence, domestic needs are the priority, while the surplus stocks will be exported," the president expounded.

Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo had earlier noted that one of the products exported to Saudi Arabia was rice. Moreover, cut chicken meat was exported to Japan, Timor Leste, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

"Domestic and foreign markets must continue to strengthen. In the country, we should invite people to give preference to our own agricultural products and purchase them as well as consume our nation's healthy food products," the president stressed.

Jokowi highlighted that exports to foreign markets were intensive and integrated, as the exported products had begun to penetrate non-traditional markets.

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"This is our opportunity, a very good momentum during this pandemic, so the market potential is increasingly huge," he remarked.

Jokowi called on governors, regents, and mayors to explore the potential of agricultural exports in their respective regions.

"Immediately work on potential agricultural commodities to be developed. Offer farmers enhanced access to capital, technological innovations, and assistance," he stated.

The president spoke of having engaged in several discussions with key directors of the banking industry in order to grant special attention to the agriculture sector.

"This is since it is an opportunity akin to what the agriculture minister had said about Porang (Amorphophallus muelleri). There is a huge market that we can penetrate, but please do not export it in raw form, especially in the form of tubers, at least the already processed form or finished products," he remarked.

Some 17 locations for the exports of agricultural products simultaneously comprise the Tanjung Perak Port, with export products valued at Rp1.3 trillion; Soekarno Hatta Airport, Rp40.36 billion; Dwikora Seaport, Rp194.31 billion; Pelindo 1 Port, Rp1 trillion; Belawan Port, Rp431.6 billion; Tanjung Priok Port, Rp435.1 billion; and Tanjung Emas Port, Rp400.57 billion.

The 10 other locations are in the cities of Balikpapan, Bandar Lampung, Padang, Batam, Makassar, Banjarmasin, Palembang, Jambi, Tanjung Balai and Manado, with export products worth Rp7.29 trillion.

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Translator: Desca N, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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