JAKARTA–Indonesia could import up to 4.3 million tons of rice this year if the domestic harvest is insufficient, Sarwo Edhy, the secretary of the National Food Agency, said on Monday.
Indonesia, which imported 2.22 million tons of rice between January and May, currently plans to import 3.6 million tons of rice this year.
Any additional imports would only be needed if harvests were disrupted by drought, flood or pests, Sarwo said in a livestreamed briefing.
Indonesia’s statistics agency has estimated that rice output for January to August will be 9.52 percent lower than the same period in 2023.
A staple for most of Indonesia’s 270 million people, the domestic price of rice was almost 12 percent higher in June from a year earlier after crops were reduced by adverse weather.
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