President Jokowi: Export Needed to Maintain Corn Price

President Jokowi on the corn field at Botuwombatu Village, North Gorontalo Regency, Gorontalo province, Friday (1/3). (Photo by: Jay/PR).

Rising corn production is important to meet national demands, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.

Nevertheless, the President added, it is very important to export corn if there is a surplus so that domestic corn prices remain stable.

“This is what we must maintain because if prices are high, consumers will definitely complain. But if the price falls, the farmers will also complain,” President Jokowi said his remarks at the corn harvest, in Botuwombatu Village, North Gorontalo Regency, Gorontalo province, Friday (1/3).

According to the President, maintaining price stability is challenging, adding that at the end of 2014, tcorn price declined significantly, prompting the Government to intervene the price by issuing a Presidential Regulation. “The price will fall as long as the supply is high but we do not export the surplus,” he added.

For the record, in the past four years Indonesia still imports 3.5 million tons of corn, but in 2018 the country imported only 180,000 tons because the domestic production already covers domestic needs which come from Gorontalo, West Nusa Tenggara, Java, and Sumatra.

President also Jokowi expressed hopes that farmers in Gorontalo can increase their production from 8-9 tons per hectare to 10 tons per hectare. (UN/JAY/ES)

Translated by: Galuh Wicaksono
Edited by: Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas