Indonesia aims to export 100,000 to 500,000 tonnes of "premium rice" next year under orders from President Joko Widodo to ramp up shipment of the country's staple, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo said on Wednesday.
Indonesian rice exports have so far been small. The country exported around 200 tonnes of rice in January-November this year, according to data from the statistics agency.
Limpo said his ministry has been tasked to prepare for exports of "premium rice" to a number of destinations. "For that, starting January we will roll out preparations for exports," he told reporters after meeting with the president, adding that the ministry will prepare for the seeds and designated plantation for the rice.
"Other people export, why can't we?" he said, without elaborating why the government had now decided to boost exports. Indonesia regularly imports rice when extra supply is needed to help control its price in local markets.
Limpo said the government would not dip into rice stocks held by Indonesia's state food procurement agency Bulog for the planned exports.
Bulog as of Nov. 18 held 2.25 million tonnes of rice, due to large imports in 2018. The agency aims to lower the stocks to 1.3 million tonnes by the start of 2020 keep it around that level throughout next year.
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