Indonesia not to import rice despite rising domestic price

JAKARTA (Xinhua) - The Indonesian government will not ship rice from abroad despite the prices of the commodity rising at home, an official said here on Friday.

Indonesian Trade Minister Rahmat Gobel said the country still has sufficient stockpile to be sold in order to ease the price rising.

Besides, he added that good harvest is expected in some areas to increase supply at the markets.

"We will not import rice (as) we still have sufficient stockpile, and great harvests are nearly to happen," Minister Rahmat said at the trade ministry.

The price of rice, a staple food in the vast archipelago country with a population of over 238 million, has risen by about 30 percent.

Minister Rahmat said the policy was taken in part to protect local farmers.

"Should I import rice, it will arrive at the time of great harvest. This is not good for growers," he said.

In March and April, Indonesian will have bumper harvest of rice with a total output of 13.2 million at 4.5 million hectares of paddy fields, Hasil Sembiring, director general of food at the agriculture ministry said.

Indonesia's rice production was estimated to grow by 0.35 percent to 34 million tons in 2014 from a year earlier, based on the first government forecast, according to the agriculture ministry.

Indonesia had previously imported rice from Thailand, Vietnam and other countries.