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.            After all, there is no regulation that bans the import of maize. "There is no set procedure for maize import for animal feed. The government could not stop maize imports based on the law on food. Regarding the law on animal husbandry and health, the government's function is limited to coordination only. Therefore, imports will continue as supply is short," he explained.          He said so far, there was no policy that regulated maize imports, particularly to meet the animal feed needs. What exists is a law on food, which regulates human consumption and a law on animal husbandry and health, which regulates the animal husbandry business and animal health.          Tony expressed concern that maize imports might increase as several animal feed industries switched to wheat as a substitute for maize. The high price of wheat is feared to trigger a hike in the price of animal feeds. He said the increase in maize imports can reach 25 percent.          Thus, maize production at home should be boosted to meet the domestic need. The government should continue to facilitate and assist maize farmers.          However, seed and fertilizer assistance as well as price incentive worth Rp5 thousand per kg provided by the government have failed to encourage farmers to directly plant maize soon after the harvest.          Tony believes the lack of interest among farmers to plant maize was due to a reduction in agricultural areas as a result of resettlement and industrial expansion. Therefore, he called on the government to increase maize plantations and provide more land for growing the commodity.          "The government only thinks of allocating land for rice farms, although it is much easier to clear land for (maize) plantations. Since the land preparation cost for maize plantations is far lower than that for rice farms, so the government should provide more land for plantations like those offered for setting up rice farms," Tony remarked.          In order to overcome the lack of land problem, the government launches a rubber-maize intercrop plantation program.          According to Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, his ministry is now targeting the cultivation of maize intercrop plantations on one million hectares of land across the country.          The minister also said the intercrop plantations will be developed in Sumatra (South Sumatra), Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Java.          The program has been tried in West Sumatra and has been relatively successful. Therefore, rubber farmers must support the program so that it is successful.          Sulaiman said the government is planning to rejuvenate rubber plantations by also implementing maize intercrop plantations. "While awaiting the rubber trees to grow, the maize plantations can be harvested," the minister said after conducting the first planting of maize with the intercrop system among rubber trees on a 10 hectare piece of land in the Pulau Harapan Village, Banyuasin District, South Sumatra, on Thursday (June 9).          He said rubber plants can generally be tapped only after about four years. While waiting for the rubber trees, farmers can plant and harvest maize once in three months.          "This will provide benefit to the farmers," he said. By carrying out the intercropping program it would be more efficient for the cultivation of land because farmers do not need to use grass poison.          The minister pointed out that his ministry will provide assistance, such as seeds and marketing so that farmers need not worry about sourcing them. Farmers do not need to think of its marketing because their maize products will be purchased by the state-owned logistics board (Bulog).          What is clear is that the intercropping program has been launched in anticipation of the condition of rubber prices, which are still low.          Besides that the maize intercropping is also intended to utilize land, which is still extensive and has not been planted yet.          In the meantime, the regional government secretary of South Sumatra, H Mukti Sulaiman said the acreage of rubber plantation in the province is relatively wide and has reached 1.2 million hectares.          The rubber plantations need renovation so that the maize intercrop plantation is quite supportive, he said.***3***A014/INE)EDITED BY INE(T.A014/B/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 10-06-2016 21:51:1