JAKARTA, March 15 (Bernama) -- The Indonesian government is looking into the possibilities of agricultural cooperation with rice-producing countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, Indonesia's ANTARA news agency reported.
"To ensure food security, it would be better if Indonesia has rice stocks in other countries, for instance, Cambodia and Myanmar that are also rice-producing countries," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said here on Wednesday.
The planned cooperation however does not mean that Indonesia will be importing rice from those countries, he said.
"The planned cooperation has nothing to do with rice imports. They (Cambodia and Myanmar) will invite us to develop rice millers there," he noted.
He said the planned cooperation will also be directed towards the development of rice seedling technology.
"That is why we are planning to establish cooperation with them. So it does not mean we will import rice from them."
He also added that the government will send its Agriculture Minister, Suswono, to Cambodia and Myanmar to discuss the possibility of the cooperation.
Hatta hoped that through the cooperation, the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) will play a greater role not only in ensuring domestic food supplies and rice reserves, and stabilising rice prices, but also in enhancing its role internationally.
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