Government Blames Rice Speculators
Thursday, 14 December, 2006 | 18:08 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Anton Apriyanto, Agriculture Minister, is suspicious that the rice price increases during this week were due to speculators and general public psychological factors regarding the announcement of planting and harvest seasons delays.

According to him, the government has prepared measures to overcome speculators’ actions, but he kept these secret.

“For now, they are secret,” he said in Jakarta, yesterday (13/12).

Anton acknowledged having assigned an assessment and development agency at his department and market intelligence to assess the price increases in several places.

The government, continued Anton, will not hasten to announce rice imports or government’s purchase price changes.

“I’ve regretted (announcing it). If all movements were already known by the opponents, then they would win,” he said while calling on members of the general public not to be concerned because rice supplies are still normal.

Anton’s explanation was related to rice price increases in several places, including Jakarta, Central Sulawesi, Central Java and South Sumatra.

Price increases averaged Rp1,000 per kilogram.

On Tuesday the President ordered Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu to stabilize rice prices as soon as possible.

Agusdin Pulungan, the Indonesian Agriculture Society’s General Chairman, said he considered the speculators’ actions to be ordinary.

The government should have accurate strategies to handle this.

“So that such a situation is not repeated every year,” he said.

Several farmers’ associations have urged the government to extend the ban on rice imports, which ends on December 31.

Fadli Zon, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and International Organization Division at the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), said the government should have reconciled rice data before deciding to import.

Ewo Raswa, M Darlis, Sohirin, Imron Rosyid, Rofiuddin and Arif Ardiansyah