"Pakistan has made an offer since long ago and now we are going to explore it. It is an effort to prepare a stand-bye source so that we will not depend on what already exist now and to raise our bargaining position," External Trade Director General Deddy Saleh said here on Thursday.
He said that Indonesia and Pakistan had exchanged a draft note of memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the rice procurement cooperation.
"We have sent the draft MoU early this year and we are now waiting for Pakistan`s response," he said.
Regarding India, Deddy said that the government was still planning an initial talk.
"We will have talks with them immediately. We have sent a letter to the Indian government," he said.
He said that India and Pakistan were among the countries which had rice surplus and had the potentials to become rice procurement partners, apart from two big rice producer countries which so far become Indonesia`s main partners, namely Thailand and Vietnam.
In this connection, President Director of the National Logistics Agency Bulog, Sutarto Alimoeso said alternative rice exporter countries were needed to secure national rice stocks.
"Food production, rice in particular, is prone to problems. Thailand and Vietnam are big exporters but some other countries also have rice surplus such as Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Cambodia. There is no problem if we try to explore cooperation on rice procurement with them so that we will have substitute rice sources. We do not want to face a risk with regard to rice supplies," he said.
(Uu.A014/H-NG/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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