JAKARTA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia plans to import 2 million tons of rice this year to meet domestic supplies and stave off the impact of the ongoing harvest failure caused by El Nino.
Statistics Indonesia (BPS) projects that the country will face a rice deficit of 2.8 million tons in 2024.
"We will import from Vietnam, Thailand and China, following up on (conversations) that the president has held with local authorities," Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi told journalists after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday.
Simultaneously, the government needs to finish the 500,000 tons of outstanding import quota from the previous year.
The intention is for the rice to arrive in the nation by the end of January or February, in time for the March harvest season. Additionally, during the fasting months of March and the April Eid al-Fitr holiday, increased needs must be met. ■
