Government Corrects Rice Database

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A farmer harvests rice in paddy fields managed by the Association of Farmers\' Groups Ngudi Rukun in Sorosutan village, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, Thursday (11/10/2018). The area of paddy fields in the village has decreased from 12.97 hectares to 8 ha in the last two years owing to the conversion of paddy fields into buildings. The farmers’ groups association is trying to help preserve the remaining fields and during this year\'s harvest, it has been able to produce 11.9 tons of IR64 rice per hectare.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – After going through a long process that began in 2015, the government has finally announced its rice database, comprising a paddy field area, harvest area and rice production, using new calculation methods. The move has been praised in the hope of ending chronic debates on rice data.

New figures announced include a reduction of paddy field area from 7.75 million hectares in 2013 to 7.1 million ha in 2018. Meanwhile, potential harvest area may reach 10.9 million ha and production may reach 56.54 million tons of dry paddy (GKG), or equal to 32.42 million tons of rice, in 2018.