Thursday, April 24, 2008
President Orders Officials to Prevent Illegal Rice Exports
Source: Antara News

Palangkaraya, C Kalimantan - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered government officials at central and regional levels to prevent rice from being exported illegally because, he said, amid the current global food crisis, any rice produced at home should be used to meet domestic need.

"No rice should be allowed to be smuggled overseas," he said here on Thursday at the launching of a rural poverty alleviation program.

The president said he had instructed all cabinet ministers and provincial government officials to put off plans to export rice as there was a world food crisis and meeting domestic need was now a national priority.

He said he had in 2007 actually ordered all government officials concerned to increase domestic rice production to two million tons a year.

"Despite the occurrence of various natural disasters, rice production in 2007 reached a relatively good level," he added.

Touching on domestic production of other foods, he said the sugar output was satisfactory but there was a problem with soybean production which had only reached 600,000 - 700,000 tons whereas the tempe (fermented soybean cake) and tofu industry's need was 2.1 million tons.

The president admitted some regions in the country were indeed unsuitable for soybean cultivation but he believed it was actually still possible to increase domestic soybean production.

On the occasion, the president called on the chief executive officers of a number of state-owned banks to increase the amounts their banks had set aside for people's business credits (KURs).

In response to the president's call, the chiefs of several state banks later handed billions of rupiahs worth of KURs to the local government for a program to help micro businessmen.

BRI Bank Director Sofyan Basyir presented Rp41.5 billion worth of credits, BNI Bank President Director Gatot Soewondo Rp10.8 billion and Mandiri Bank President Director Agus Martowardojo Rp221.6 billion.

The KURs' intended recipients were micro and small business entrepreneurs such as street meat-ball, jamu (traditional medicinal herbs) and cellular-phone voucher vendors.

After launching the rural poverty alleviation program, the president planted trees to encourage the local people to take part in greening activities.