The Indonesian government has ended a ban on the distribution of thousands of tonnes of rice – which had seen more than 1.5 million of the country's poorest people go hungry for the past three weeks.
More than 8000 tonnes of rice were impounded under the ban. The government has agreed to allow the importation and distribution of rice for humanitarian aid after meeting UN officials, in a move which has angered local farmers.
Presenter/Interviewer: Mike Woods
Speakers: Henry Saragih, General Secretary, the farmer's organisation – the Federation of Indonesian Peace and Union; Mahommed Saleheem, Director, the World Food Programme in Indonesia
Saragih: We demand the government to protect our rights because our farmers cannot compete with imported rice from Thailand, Vietnam and USA because the rice from there is very low, very cheap.
Woods: An unhappy Henry Saragih, General Secretary of the farmer's organisation – the Federation of Indonesian Peace and Union.
Since 1998 Indonesia's poor have been able to buy rice from the World Food Programme for 1000 rupiah – or about 17 Australian cents a kilogram. This year the WFP has been selling rice it had stockpiled, but earlier this month. that ran out. and it was denied acess to other rice it had stored in warehouses, after it was impounded by government officials.
Henry Saragih says he has a message for donor countries which would solve the problems faced by both Indonesia's rice growers and the country's poor:
Saragih: Please send money and then the governemnt will buy the rice from our farmers.
Woods: But, the Director of the World Food Programme in Indonesia, Mahommed Saleheem says unfortunately its not that easy. He says most countries refuse to donate cash, but even if they did, aid agencies would not be prepared to pay inflated prices for local product :
Saleheem: Donors normally provide humanitarian food aid in kind and whenever cash resources are available we shall certainly endeavour to procure some rice locally when the price is competitive woth the international price of rice.
Woods: Henry Sarigih says the government must come up with long term strategies to assist the countries farmers. He says his members support helping the poor, but believes the government should allocate them land to grow their own crops.
The World Food Programme's, Mahommed Saleheem says he cannot understand the farmers concerns:
Saleheem: Humanitarian food aid that comes to Indonesia and targetting these two million people is about 0.11 per cent of the total rice consumption in the country so it is very insignificant in terms of the total quantity of food that is being provided by the international community but it is quite significant in terms of those two million people.
Woods: He also says he wants the ban on the importation of rice extended beyond this year. Mr Sarigih says farmers will show their displeasure at the Indonesian government's decision at the run off election next month.