The President said our economic condition is good. He is quite confident that our budget deficit will likely be below 4 percent and could even reach 3.5 percent (of the national gross domestic product) this year.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Wednesday invited dozens of editors-in-chief of Indonesia's influential media to discuss a wide range of issues, including the current global crisis and self-reliance in rice production.

The editors-in-chief attended the meeting, which took place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the invitation of President Widodo, the Antara News Agency’s managing director, Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, said at the Presidential Palace compounds in Jakarta.

"The President said our economic condition is good. He is quite confident that our budget deficit will likely be below 4 percent and could even reach 3.5 percent (of the national gross domestic product) this year," he added.

Indonesia is among the countries that have remained strong in facing the global crisis owing to its stable debt ratio, controlled budget deficit, and national gross domestic product growth that has been fueled by household consumption, he quoted the President as saying.

According to the head of state, Indonesia is expected to achieve self-reliance in food production soon on account of the construction of dams in several parts of the country.

"He was quite confident that, Insya Allah (God willing), we will achieve self-reliance in food production in the not-so-distant future because the construction of (several) dams and reservoirs will be completed this year," he said.

Meanwhile, a member of the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Editors-in-Chief Forum, Primus Dorimulu, said the inflation from food commodity prices can still be kept under check.

One of the commodities whose prices can be controlled is rice. With the construction of dams, Indonesia can maintain national rice production and even achieve self-reliance in food production, he said.

"More dams will be built until 2024. (The construction of dams) has had an impact on irrigated rice fields. In the past, we only had one harvest per year and now, we can have more than two harvests per year. The President believes we will reach self-reliance in rice production," he added.

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Translator: Mentari Dwi Gayati, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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