Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) projects the country will achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2020 if paddy conversion stops and the government is consistent in its efforts to increase the size of paddy and develop irrigation infrastructure.
"Agriculture infrastructure projects are ongoing. It will take three to five years for us to reap the results. Indonesia can be a rice self-sufficient country by 2020," Dody Budi Waluyo, assistant to the BI governor for monetary and economic policy, told a media briefing on Thursday.
The central bank predicts rice production will reach more than 50 million tons in 2020, while consumption will reach fewer than 43 million tons.
One Indonesian is assumed to consume 144-kilograms of rice per year, while the population is expected to reach 300 million people in 2020. Rice is used for direct consumption, animal feed and industrial use.
In 2015, rice production reached 43.9 million tons coming from 75.4 million tons of paddy. The government aims to produce 80 million tons of paddy this year.
The Agriculture Ministry aims to open another 80,000 hectares of new paddy and 500 water deposits after opening 128,441 ha and 1,714 water deposits last year.
Dody emphasizes that land conversion should also stop to realize the projection. Each year, up to 110,000 ha of agricultural land is converted for other use, mainly residential areas. (bbn)