Indonesia Looks To India For Rice Sale To Meet Local Demand

By P.Vijian NEW DELHI, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Indonesia is trying to source nearly 500,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice from India to meet domestic needs. Its state logistics agency (BULOG), held talks with Indian food authorities here on Wednesday, to procure the grain after regular supply from traditional exporters, Thailand and Vietnam, was disrupted due to recent floods. The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency has also envisaged a 1.6 percent drop or 1.08 million metric tonnes decline in output this year, due to shrinking farmland and productivity. "The delegation came to explore the possibility of importing rice from India. "Due to the shortfall in rice production in Indonesia, there is a need to import rice from India. As a major producer of rice, India can fulfill the request," said K.V.Thomas, India's Food Minister. Rice remains a staple food among Indonesia's 240 million people, making the Southeast Asian nation, the world's third largest consumer of the grain. India is the world's second largest rice producer with over 80 million metric tonnes in annual production, next only to China. The Indian government has banned the export of non-basmati rice to protect its own industry, but occasionally lifts the ban on humanitarian grounds. --BERNAMA