Jakarta (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has been urged to stop the imports of rice in a bid to improve the welfare of the domestic farmers, according to an academician.
"The president must slow down on the rice import policy," Gajah Mada University (UGM) Vice Rector for Research and Public Services Suratman stated during an organic rice harvest event in Klaten district, Central Java, on Wednesday.
Suratman noted that Indonesia can become a rice-producing country and export rice to other countries instead of becoming a consumer that is always dependent on foreign supplies.
The farmers at Juwiring village in Klaten district on Wednesday harvested organic rice that they had cultivated on a 15-hectare field.
Present at the organic rice harvest event were Klaten District Head Sunarna, Suratman of Gajah Mada University, and numerous stakeholders from the agricultural sector. (WDY)
