Indonesia has already approved a 2 million ton rice import quota this year.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo waves as he visits the paddy field area in Pekalongan, Central Java province, Indonesia, December 13, 2023. Antara Foto/Harviyan Perdana Putra/via REUTERS Antara Foto/via REUTERS

Indonesia is seeking to import 200,000 metric tons of rice from Thailand, its state food procurement agency (Bulog) said on Monday.

Mokhamad Suyamto, Bulog’s director, told reporters the planned purchase would be under a government-to-government arrangement and negotiations were underway.

Indonesia has already approved a 2 million ton rice import quota this year, a quarter of which is expected to arrive by March, officials said. In 2023, it imported 3.06 million tons of the grain, a near-record.

Output was disrupted last year by the El Nino weather pattern but production is expected to recover this year.

Indonesia’s initial forecast for 32 million metric tons of rice output in 2024 has been undercut by predictions that rice output in January and February is expected to drop 46% from a year ago to 2.25 million tons, officials said.

Last year, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said his government had secured commitment from India and Thailand to shore up supply for 2024. (Reporting by Bernadette Christina; Editing by Martin Petty)

Published Date: February 12, 2024