Indonesia to reach sugar self-sufficiency The government will likely have to work hard to realize its target of sugar self-sufficiency by 2014 as it needs to acquire 350,000 hectares of land to boost sugar production. The government earlier eyed a number of locations in Aceh, South Sumatra, East Java, Central Java, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua, among others, to support the self-sufficiency target; but has so far secured only 37,000 hectares in Papua and 29,000 hectares in South Sumatra. Both are forest areas, and the Forestry Ministry has issued licenses for their use, Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa told a hearing with lawmakers on Monday. "To support the procurement of land for sugar cane plantations, among other things the Forestry Ministry has issued circulars to all provincial administrations, [which tell them] to prioritize the use of converted forestry land for sugarcane plantations," Hatta said before members of the House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing industry, trade and investment. The government is targeting to boost Indonesia's sugar production to 5.7 tons in 2014 by boosting the production of existing sugarcane plantations and creating new ones, among other initiatives. In 2010, the country produced 2.21 tons of sugar, falling short of the previous target of 3.25 tons. The government is targeting a total of more than 766,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations by 2014. News Source: The Jakarta Post (by Erwida Maulia)
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