REGIONAL GOVT CALLED ON TO ISSUE REGULATION ON FERTILIZERS

Jakarta, Dec 27 (ANTARA) - Agriculture Minister Suswono called on governors and district heads to issue regulations immediately on the distribution of subsidized fertilizers.

The minister made the called when he met with farmers in Indramayu district, West Java, over the weekend. He was responding to their complaints over difficulties in obtaining subsidized fertilizers.

Minister Suswono said he had received a report from fertilizer producers that they were unable to distribute their products because of the absence of provincial and district level decrees on the distribution of subsidized fertilizers.

"A ministerial decree has been issued last month. So, if there is a problem with the distribution it must have been caused by the absence of provincial and district level decrees," the minister said.

He said that at current fertilizer stocks were big at the producers so that actually there was no reason for the production facilities to run short at the farmers' level.

Therefore, the minister called on governors and district heads throughout the country to issue decrees for the distribution of subsidized fertilizers because there was no reason for them not to do it.