YOGYAKARTA (KU) – National Logistics Agency (Bulog) is optimistic that domestic rice supply is sufficient up to February 2011. Although up to September, this new rice procurement has only reached 1.8 million tons of the targeted 3.2 tons by the end of 2010. "Up to September, the stock has just reached 1.8 million tons or 56.25 percent of the target," the Head of the Agency, Ir. Alimoeso Sutarto, told reporters after attending a meeting of Entomological Society of Indonesia (PEI) in the Prof. Hardjono Danusastro Auditorium, Faculty of Agriculture UGM, Friday (1/10).
To meet the target, Bulog plans to carry out the procurement of rice stocks by 1.5 million tons by the end of this year. Meanwhile, the rest of Bulog rice stock is still 1.3 million tons. "Procurement of rice will be spread in 50 thousand points across Indonesia for 17.5 million families," he said.
Sutarto admitted that the national rice production this year has decreased compared to last year. Previously, the increase of rice and paddy production reached 6.7 percent. Based on Bulog’s data, in year 2007 the increase of rice production reached 4.96%, 5.4% in 2008, and in 2009 reached 6.7%. According to Sutarto, the decline in rice and paddy production in this country is due to the anomaly of climate change and global warming. "I am concerned that the production of rice is only 1.17 percent. In the past, the increase reached 6.7 percent. It also caused an increase in pests, such as brown plant hopper," he explained.
Veterinary Medicine is currently developing education and research concept on ecohealth in managing infectious diseases from animals to human due to ecological factors. This is marked with the establishment of Zoonotic Disease Center (ZDC). “We want to spread this concept to community by inviting stakeholders,” said zoonotic researcher of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. drh. Wayan Tunas Artama, after following Ecozoonotic Disease Workshop at the campus, Thursday (13/1).
“From the survey, we see a trend of declining market share for our products, as more consumers prefer buying products imported from China,” he told reporters at a press briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The survey revealed most traders preferred selling Chinese products instead of domestically-made ones because their profits rose by around 20 percent, he added.
In his speech, Sutarto said that there are 2-3 million species of insects in the world. Although not all insects are harmful, disturbance of insect pests in agriculture led to nearly 30 percent of food loss. This year, pest attack is even increasing. "In Klaten, there is a ban for not planting rice because of pests. This is very detrimental," he added.
Sutarto said that this pest should get serious attention from stakeholders because nearly 17 million Indonesian people who become farmers depend on rice crop yields. The small number of trainers and observers of pests and diseases, however, makes eradication of these pests more difficult to overcome.
Chairman of committee of the 40th Entomological Society of Indonesia (PEI) meeting, Dr. Ir. Witjaksono, M.Sc., in a press release said that the meeting of the entomologists will discuss two major issues, including anticipating the opening of Indonesia as a market for the trading of all kinds of goods, including biological commodities that potentially damage natural resources and environment. Meanwhile, the field of agricultural education (agro complex) tends to be more "general" and does not rely on environmental idealism. "Entomologist society has main role to produce environmental entomology education and simultaneously produce entomologists who become the translator and carrier of educational products to the community," he said.