INDONESIA TO SHIFT FROM IMPORTING TO EXPORTING MAIZE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 27 (Antara) - Indonesia has been importing maize in the past to meet the domestic need, though this year, it has stopped the imports of the commodity and is planning to become a major exporter in future.          As part of its efforts to increase maize production and meet its goal to export the commodity in future, Indonesia is expanding the acreage of its maize plantations to 6.4 million hectares while boosting an inter-crop planting system on three million hectares of rubber and other plantations, such as palm oil plantations.          Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture will continue to optimize assistance for the agricultural sector by channeling various aid packages to farmer groups to support food self-sufficiency.          These efforts encompass the distribution of assistance in the form of seeds, agricultural equipment, and production facilities. It also involves stakeholders and directives by the Indonesian Defence Forces, police, state-owned forest firm Perum Perhutani, and state plantation company PTPN, among others.

INDONESIA'S EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE MAIZE SELF-SUFFICIENCY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 20 (Antara) - Various regions have begun actively planting maize through an intercropping system with palm oil and rubber plantations to support the government's vision of making Indonesia self-sufficient in maize production in 2018.        This year, the government plans to open three million hectares of new maize plantations of which about one million hectares will be developed on palm oil plantations through the intercropping system.    The Agriculture Ministry has set a target to integrate the planting of maize and palm oil in one million hectares of plantation areas across the country this year. With the additional three million hectares of new maize plantations, the country's corn plantation acreage will increase to 6.2 million hectares.        "For this year (2017), President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has given us a target to plant maize in one million hectares of palm oil plantations," Dedi Junaedi, the director general of Processing and Marketing of Plantation Products of the Agriculture Ministry, stated in Kuala Pembuang, Central Kalimantan, on Sunday (Mar 19).

GOVERNMENT TO BOOST MAIZE PRODUCTION, STOP IMPORTS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 17 (Antara) - Indonesia is working to boost its maize production and has expanded the area under corn cultivation. As a result, it expects to stop importing the commodity this year.         With this objective, the government has come up with a number of programs, including a plan to open three million hectares of new maize plantations, raising the total acreage of corn plantations to about 6.2 million hectares this year.          Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman and the Fodder Companies Association (GPMT) have agreed to stop the import of maize and increase production.         The minister revealed the plans to stop the import of corn while viewing the grand harvest of maize on a 160-hectare plot of land in the village of Tanjung Agung, South Lampung District, on Thursday (Feb 16). PT Vasham Kosa Sejahtra and PT Japfa Comfed have partnered with the local farmers for cultivating maize at the plantation.         In order to achieve the goal of stopping corn import, the government has committed to increase the production of maize nationally. The dry corn grain production was 23.2 million tons in 2016.          "We have included the South Lampung District in the list of regions where we hope to boost maize production. Moreover, South Lampung has become a maize production center for the Lampung Province," Sulaiman added.

INDONESIA MIGHT NEED TO IMPORT MAIZE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 10 (Antara) - Indonesia has set a target to produce 24 million tons of maize this year, more than its estimated need of 21.4 million tons, yet agribusiness circles say the country still needs to import the commodity.          "Let us review the price of maize at the end of this month. If it does not come down, it means there is no additional domestic production. If there are no stocks, it will be impossible for us not to import the commodity," Indonesian Agribusiness Club Secretary, Tony Kristiyanto, said on Tuesday.          Therefore, Indonesia still needs to import maize because domestic production has not increased while demand for the commodity continues to soar.          Indonesia's maize production has been increasing over the past several years. In 2014, the country's production of the commodity reached 19.01 million tons, up 2.68 percent from the 19.51 million tons produced in 2013.          Last year, maize production in the country was about 20.6 million tons, 8.7 percent more than in 2014.          However, the rising domestic needs and little progress in production this year might force the country to import the commodity. Tony noted that Indonesia had to import maize since it is used as animal feed.