"The unilateral cancellation of rice imports from Thailand should serve as a lesson for the government," Airlangga Hartarto, chairman of House Commission VI on trade affairs said here on Saturday.
Airlagga said that the government should guarantee the availability of rice stocks at the logistics agency Bulog`s warehouses and maintain the stability of rice prices in the domestic market.
He said the the government should also investigate the causes of the unilateral rice export cancellation to Indonesia by Thailand. It also should investigate the institutions responsible for rice exports and imports.
"So far, Indonesia and Thailand are bound by a bilateral agreement on rice imports," he said.
The legislator said that there should be no longer unilateral rice import cancellations.
He reminded the government of the importance of national food security and resilience. The government should set concrete steps, that cover short, medium and long term ones, in the face of climate change and global warming.
"The government should not take for granted too much rice imports from other country because all countries must also have calculations on their needs to keep their respective food resilience before exporting rice to other countries," Airlangga said.
He called on the government to be serious about implementing its rice self-sufficiency programs with concrete steps.
The government should consistently launch its agricultural intensification programs, producing new agricultural lands, providing farmers with incentives, guarantee that farmers production could be absorbed and maintain unhulled rice prices.
Airlangga, who is a politician of the Golkar Party also suggested that the government should return the Bulog role and function as a buffer institution which was responsible for the availability of national rice stocsk and the stability of rice prices.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
