RI actually already self-sufficient in rice : official

"Having a surplus of more than one million tons from the 2007 rice harvest, Indonesia now can be categorized as a country self-sufficient in rice," the ministry`s director general of food crop plantation affairs, Sutarto Alimoeso, said here Saturday.

In this context, the national 2008 paddy production was expected to reach 61 million tons or five percent over the 2007 figure, he said.

Thus, he expressed optimism that the government would no longer conduct rice import this year because with last year`s rice procurement drive, Indonesia now had more than one million tons in stock.

Apart from that the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) now had the capacity to buy 1.6 milllion tons of farmers` rice.

"We hope Bulog will be able to absorb more farmers` rice if it works well," he said, hoping that through the 2008 procurement or collecting effort, Indonesia would have some 2 million tons of rice.

Referring to the increased food prices, Sutarto said farmers should be informed about the matter so they would be motivated to increase their production.

In addition, Media Indonesia daily in its headlines Saturday said world rice prices had continued to increase up to US$700 per ton, the highest level in the last ...