It (the increase) was the result of a shift in the number of people working in the agricultural sector due to the impact of climate change, which had led to belated harvest.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - More than 28.28 million Indonesian people live in poverty as of March 2014 compared to 28.17 million in the same period last year, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
"It (the increase) was the result of a shift in the number of people working in the agricultural sector due to the impact of climate change, which had led to belated harvest," BPS Chief Suryamin said here on Tuesday.
However, the number of impoverished people as of March 2014 had dropped from 28.6 million in September 2013 due to a decline in inflation rate and an increase in the wages of farm workers and construction workers, he said.
The number of poor people had declined in the September 2013-March 2014 period as the retail prices of several basic commodities such as purebred chicken, granulated sugar, red chili, and eggs, fell, he said.
"The other factor for the decline is the improved income of farmers as reflected by their exchange rate, which rose 0.61 percent to 101.86 in March 2014 from 101.24 in September 2013," he said.
Nearly 10.5 million or 8.34 percent of the 28.28 million poor people live in urban areas and 17.7 million or 14.17 percent live in rural areas, he said.
Many live in the most populated island of Java, reaching 15.5 million, while 6.07 million live in Sumatra, 2.1 million in Sulawesi, 2 million in Bali and Nusa Tenggara, and 1.5 million in Maluku and Papua provinces, he said.
Currently, Indonesia's population is around 240 million.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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