CARGIL READY TO SUPPLY SUGAR TO DOMESTIC MARKET

Jakarta, Sept 13 (ANTARA) - Producer of food and farm products PT Cargil Indonesia is ready to supply sugar to the domestic market to offset the current increase in prices of the commodity, the company's public affairs director Rudolf Saut said.

Saut said here on Sunday that in order to supply sugar at home his company would import the commodity from the United States.

"We are ready to supply sugar to stablize its price at the domestic market" he said.

He did not elaborate on the planned sugar imports.

Cargil Sugar, a division of a multinational company, was globally doing business in raw and white sugar as well as ethanol trading.

Previously, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said that Indonesia needed 180,000 tons of imported sugar. Thus, the government decides to give an allocation of additional raw sugar import of 180,000 tons to secure sugar stock.

"We are giving a raw sugar permit for 180,000 tons for sugarmills to boost their production for adequate year-end stocks in the event of unmilled sugar," the minister said.

She said the import will be carried out prior to the end of the milling season in November, because it is aimed at covering the sugarmills idle capacity. The measure was taken to secure a stock of five months before next year's milling season.

"Right now the stock is still enough, otherwise we would have to make adjustments by raw sugar imports like what we are doing now," the trade minister said.

She said that the additional import quota was small because it was only intended to maintain the balance between production and consumption.***2***