Cirebon, West Java (ANTARA) - There is a need for planting better sugarcane varieties in Indonesia to address the gap in domestic demand and production and attain sugar self-sufficiency, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo has said.
"To catch up with production (demand), better variety of sugarcane must be used," Limpo added during a working visit to Cirebon, West Java, on Tuesday.
He informed that national sugar production has reached 2.4 million tons, however, domestic demand is 3.2 million tons. Therefore, there is a gap of 800 thousand tons.
The minister underlined the need for immediately addressing the sugar demand-production gap by replacing the current sugarcane variety with better ones.
According to him, the sugarcane variety used by farmers at present is not good enough as its yield rate is 7 percent.
"Hence, sugarcane variety with yield rate of 9 percent is needed so as to improve the production of sugar," he said.
The minister said that on the national scale, the area under sugarcane plantations is 448 thousand hectares, with 243 thousand hectares belonging to small farmers and 205 thousand belonging to companies.
He also highlighted the need for ratooning sugarcane to improve national production and achieve the target of sugar self-sufficiency by 2024.
"Maximum (effort) in planting also serves as part of national strategy. And it is expected that in 2024, sugar self-sufficiency can be achieved," Limpo said.
During his working visit to Cirebon District, he held discussions with some farmers about the issues they are facing.
One of the farmers, Ali, said that to date, the sugar purchase price for farmers does not match the government's stipulation of Rp12,500 per kilogram.
"We urge for the price which has been set to be (applied) for sugarcane farmers," he added.
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