JAKARTA: Government provides an opportunity to import rice when a great harvest time comes in order to secure food supply in Indonesia.The regulation on the rice import in the great harvest period is supposed to maintain a price stability in Indonesia to protest farmers interest, as confirmed by Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu.If the purpose is to secure the supply, thus the import will have no impact for the price, Mari said amidst a working meeting with The Houses VI Commission, yesterday.The import time for rice has been regulated in Regulation of Trade Minister No.12/2008 on Regulation of Import and Export on Rice. Then, it is revised with Regulation of Trade Minister No.39/2009.In fact, stated in Regulation of Trade Minister No.12/2008, rice import for price stabilization, solution of emergencies, poor people, and food insecurity, can be only implemented in outside period of 1 month before and two month after great harvest period.Today, the government wants to secure the rice supply to 1.5 million tons to 2 million tons managed by Indonesian Logistics Bureau (Bulog) for anticipating a climate change that may bother next harvest process.Government will give an approval to import rice, in a case that the imported rice arent distributed to market and only covers poor peoples need as well as market operation, said General Chairman of Kontak Tani Nelayan Andalan (KTNA) Winarno Tohir.If the rice import procedure is in accordance with the regulation, thus there will be no prohibition to import rice in great harvest period. However, rice import is suggested to be executed within of October-December this year.In the meantime, the rice price is moving higher, as informed by Winarno.The point is that Trade Minister hasnt been trusted, as an example, to manage commodities import such as refinery sugar. There should be a guarantee for the rice import from Trade Minister, Winarno affirmed. (20/Maria Y. Benyamin) (t01/msw)

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