Indonesia Must Do More to Boost Rice Yields: IRRI

In this file photo Indonesian workers unload sacks of imported white broken rice from a ship. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said Indonesia must take more aggressive action to boost yields on its rice paddy fields rather than expand planting areas.

Indonesia must take more aggressive action to boost yields on its rice paddy fields rather than expand planting areas, if it is serious about being self-sufficient in the staple diet, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said.

The world’s most populous Muslim nation was self-sufficient in rice in the early 1980s but then farmland was turned into housing for a booming population, while rampant smuggling put pressure on local growers.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy, which is forecast to produce 68 million metric tons of unmilled rice in 2011, has set itself an ambitious goal to be self-sufficient in rice in the next few years.

“Yes, definitely Indonesia could reach rice self sufficiency by increasing its rice yield,” Robert Zeigler, director general at IRRI told Reuters late on Wednesday.

“[But] They need to be able to increase the yield on the existing paddy field. They do not need to expand paddy fields and they do not need to cut down forest to produce rice in paddy fields,” he added. “It is much better to increase the productivity on existing field using existing irrigation infrastructure, roads and farmers.”

Last week, the Indonesian agriculture minister said the self-sufficient rice target of 2014 was achievable, and that the aim was for the country to again become a net exporter.

Improving yields would help with this aim, said Zeigler, who was in Jakarta to attend an ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry meeting. Rice is currently a hot topic after Indonesian trade minister said the country would seek alternative shipments after the reported cancellation of a proposed sale of 300,000 metric tons of rice from Thailand. 

Indonesia, which mainly buys rice from Vietnam and Thailand, sent an official proposal to both governments to extend rice import pacts, an official said in early September.

About two months earlier, Indonesia said it was considering importing rice from India and Pakistan. 

“They should be aggressive, they should put targets out there that are difficult but not impossible,” said Zeigler on Indonesia. “We will work very closely with them to assist them achieving their target.”

Zeigler said Indonesia’s average rice yields are now at an all-time high of around 5.1 metric tons a hectare, beating the world average of around 4.3 metric tons a hectare.