"We plan to import only 1 million tons of rice. This is small compared to national production per year which stands at 37 million tons," said the minister, adding that the rice would be imported to create a national rice stock safety net.
Up till now, the minister added, the national rice stock for 2011 was large enough to meet public demand throughout the year totaling 33 tons.
Suswono also said the government would continue to promote food diversification among the people to reduce their dependence on rice.
"Indonesian ranks first in the world in terms of rice consumption. We need to reduce our dependence on rice in order to achieve our goal of having a rice production surplus," he said.
(Uu.A051/HAJM/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
