"To ensure food security, it would be better if Indonesia has rice stocks in other countries, for instance, Cambodia and Myanmar that are also rice-producing countries," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government is looking into the possibility of agricultural cooperation with a number of rice-producing countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar.
"To ensure food security, it would be better if Indonesia has rice stocks in other countries, for instance, Cambodia and Myanmar that are also rice-producing countries," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said here on Wednesday.
The planned cooperation did not mean that Indonesia would import rice from those countries, he said.
"The planned cooperation has nothing to do with rice imports. They (Cambodia and Myanmar) will invite us to develop rice millers there," he noted.
He said the planned cooperation would also be directed towards developing rice seedling technology. "That is why we are planning to establish cooperation with them. So it does not mean we will import rice from them."
He added that the government would send Agriculture Minister Suswono to Cambodia and Myanmar to discuss the possibility of the cooperation.
Hatta hoped that through the cooperation the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) would play a greater role not only in ensuring domestic food supplies and rice reserves, and stabilizing rice prices, but also in enhancing its role internationally.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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