ID :
72623
Tue, 07/28/2009 - 19:32
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/72623
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GOVT PREPARING RESERVE FUNDS TO FACE EL NINO`S IMPACT
Jakarta, July 28 (ANTARA) - The government is preparing reserve funds of Rp1 trillion to Rp2 trillion for efforts to anticipate the impact of El Nino on the country's agriculture in 2010, a minister said.
Acting Economic Affairs Coordinating Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said after a coordination meting at he Presidential Office here on Tuesday the reserve funds were included in the draft 2010 state budget and aimed at maintaining national food resilience.
"The draft state budget will included reserves funds for (the impact of El Nino), rice for the poor and so forth. Subsidies are included for fertilizer and seeds as it used to be done to maintain food resilience," she said.
The El Nino climate phenomenon is expected to peak in 2010 when about 80 thousands to 150 thousands hectares of paddy fields would experience drought. About 10 thousand to 35 thousand hectares of the rice fields are expected to be unable to yield harvestable rice.
As a result, about 750 thousand tons of unhusked rice and 300 thousand farmers would be affected in 2010.
In 1997, the El Nino phenomenon brought about damage to 9.7 million hectares of forest in Indonesia.
The El Nino impact which cut rice production and came at the beginning of the 1997 financial crisis caused rice price to increase to 30 percent.
At that time the government was forced to import up to five million tons of rice to maintain the country's food resilience, particularly for the people at the lower bracket level.
In the meantime, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said that the reserve funds amounting to Rp1 trillion to Rp2 trillion would only be used if the impact of El Nino caused difficulties.
Bakrie said that the latest studies indicated that the impact of El Nino in 2010 would not be severe.
"Based on the information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the impact of El Nino would be rather moderate. Next August, there would be another study on the El Nino prediction in Indonesia. We hope the impact would remain moderate," the minister said.***
Acting Economic Affairs Coordinating Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said after a coordination meting at he Presidential Office here on Tuesday the reserve funds were included in the draft 2010 state budget and aimed at maintaining national food resilience.
"The draft state budget will included reserves funds for (the impact of El Nino), rice for the poor and so forth. Subsidies are included for fertilizer and seeds as it used to be done to maintain food resilience," she said.
The El Nino climate phenomenon is expected to peak in 2010 when about 80 thousands to 150 thousands hectares of paddy fields would experience drought. About 10 thousand to 35 thousand hectares of the rice fields are expected to be unable to yield harvestable rice.
As a result, about 750 thousand tons of unhusked rice and 300 thousand farmers would be affected in 2010.
In 1997, the El Nino phenomenon brought about damage to 9.7 million hectares of forest in Indonesia.
The El Nino impact which cut rice production and came at the beginning of the 1997 financial crisis caused rice price to increase to 30 percent.
At that time the government was forced to import up to five million tons of rice to maintain the country's food resilience, particularly for the people at the lower bracket level.
In the meantime, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said that the reserve funds amounting to Rp1 trillion to Rp2 trillion would only be used if the impact of El Nino caused difficulties.
Bakrie said that the latest studies indicated that the impact of El Nino in 2010 would not be severe.
"Based on the information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the impact of El Nino would be rather moderate. Next August, there would be another study on the El Nino prediction in Indonesia. We hope the impact would remain moderate," the minister said.***
