VIVAnews - The Deputy Coordinating Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Affairs, Bayu Krishanmurti, said that rice exports permit must be proposed per shipping.
"According to the President's instruction, rice exports must be carried out conservatively and carefully, " said Krishnamurti on Wednesday, March 4.
He explained that the proposed permit should include data of the destination countries, amount of exported rice, rice type, and when the shipment will take place.
He assured that for the time being, rice exports only reach 100 thousand tons of premium rice. "It is a small quantity," he said. It is less than 0.5 percent of the national rice production of 32 to 34 million tons per year.
When being asked of when the rice exports are materialized, he said that he could not yet provide confirmation. "Harvest season hasn't even begun, we will see the production after the harvest," he said.
Meanwhile, the rate of rice production growth by this year is predicted to be lower than last year's. "Between 2004 and 2005, the production growth may reach five percent," he said.
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Translated by: Ariyantri E. Tarman
