"We need it for a backup," Acting Agriculture Minister Arief Prasetyo Adi said in Jakarta on Monday.
He said that the government will import rice from Vietnam and Thailand.
"We should not heavily rely on foreign supply. Our imports are primarily aimed at sustaining the rice stock at Bulog (the state-run food logistics company)," Adi emphasized.
However, he could not confirm whether the import would be completed by the end of this year, taking into account the time required for unloading the cargo.
"It presents a challenge. Just imagine, with 270 thousand tons per shipment, unloading alone could take up to six days," he explained.
He said that he has requested Bulog and state-run port operator Pelindo to allocate extra time for unloading.
As for the import permits, Adi stated that his ministry has completed the licensing process through coordination with relevant ministries.
"The import permits have been finished due to collaboration with the Coordinating Ministry for Economy Affairs and the Trade Ministry," he said.
President Joko Widodo said on Sunday that, due to the El Nino phenomenon, national rice production has experienced a decline.
"El Nino is really impacting our production," he noted.
El Nino is a natural phenomenon that can pose threats to food production in Asia, including Indonesia, due to drought and increased temperatures.
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Translator: Farhan Arda N, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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