Indonesia To Import 1.5 Mln MT Of Rice In 2007

May 03,2007 00:00 by dailynews

Indonesia has so far received 520,000 metric MT out of a total of 1.5 million MT of rice the country plans to import this year, a senior government official said Wednesday.

A further 500,000 MT of rice will arrive by June this year, Deputy Coordinating Minister For Economy Bayu Krisnamurti told reporters. Indonesia's main rice harvest has begun in some areas, and higher stock levels from domestic paddy yields combined with the rice already imported will ensure rice prices on domestic markets remain "stable and manageable" for the next three months, Krisnamurti said.

Indonesia ostensibly maintains a ban on rice imports, but the government frequently lifts the ban and mandates Bulog, its logistics agency, to procure imports if its stockpiles are depleted.