RI TO EXPORT 10,000 TONS OF AROMATIC RICE IN MAY

Jakarta, April 22 (ANTARA) - Indonesia will export 10,000 tons of aromatic rice to Singapore and Japan in May, Mustafa Abubakar, president director of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog), said here on Tuesday.

"Bulog targets to export 10,000 tons in May which is what we have asked for. The export period has been set just until June," he said after attending a meeting on food at the ministry of financy.
He said based on the result of verification exports would still be limited to a total of only 54,000 tons and only nine out of 14 companies received recommendations to carry out the exports.
Mustafa said the shipping permit for the export of 10,000 tons of rice from Bulog was expected to be issued by the end of May. The shipment of the other 44,000 tons was expected to be done afterwards in June, he said.
He said the rice to be exported was still limited to aromatic rice such as "Pandanwangi" and "Cianjur" because the price of medium quality rice such as IR64 was not competitive while production of organic rice was not yet much.
"Even the five percent broken IR64 is not expected to be exported because its price is not competitive or higher than that of Thailand and Vietnam," he said.
Trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu meanwhile said her office was still processing the permit for exports of rice recommended by the ministry of agriculture.
"We are very careful. The permit must be issued upon a shipment basis and matches with the kind of rice to be exported and its export destination countries," she said.
She said it was not impossible that not all recommended by the minitry of agriculture would be given permits. She said the exports would not disrupt domestic rice stock.
"Not all recommendations will be followed. And what we will do will not disrupt domestic stock," she said.