Facing pressure from farmers and agencies, Indonesia delays rice imports to June

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): The government has pledged to postpone this year’s 1 million tonne rice import plan until June following mounting pressure from farmers, experts and state agencies over the past month as the country nears peak harvest season in April through May.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the government would put the plan on hold until June as the price of unhusked rice was below expectations for a harvest season. “I want to emphasise that the rice has not arrived yet, ” Jokowi said in a video released on March 26.