INDONESIA has allocated an additional quota of 1.6 million tonnes of rice for import for this year on top of two million tonnes previously approved, an official said on Monday (Feb 26), anticipating lower domestic output in the January to March harvest.

The trade ministry is working to issue the import permits for the additional allocation, ministry official Arif Sulistiyo said during a weekly government meeting streamed live.

Indonesia imported 3.1 million tonnes of grain in 2023, close to a record.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is expected to produce 32 million tonnes of rice this year, up from 30.9 million tonnes in 2023, but production in the early months is expected to be disrupted by the impact of last year’s drought.

January to March rice output is expected to be 2.8 million tonnes lower compared to the same month last year, Arif said.

Meanwhile, at retail level, rice has sold with prices above the government-set cap due to concerns of supply. REUTERS

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