Vice President Explains El Nino's Impact Mitigation Steps

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JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said the government had prepared several steps to mitigate the impact of El Nino or the phenomenon of sea level temperature warming in the central Pacific Ocean, on rice stocks.

"The government has anticipated El Nino and instruments have also been prepared to overcome it," said the Vice President as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, August 10.

The Vice President said, as a first step, the government encourages early planting of rice in areas that are not hit by drought to anticipate the scarcity of rice stocks during the peak of El Nino.

"Regions that are estimated to still be planted are part of East Java, South Sumatra, and in the South Sulawesi area so that the planting is accelerated," said Ma'ruf Amin.

In addition to planting rice earlier, continued the Vice President, the government has also prepared rice stocks through Bulog from the farmers' main harvest.

"Then later we will absorb the farmers' main harvest to prepare Bulog's stock," said the Vice President.

Finally, as a third mitigation step, the government has also prepared rice import options from other countries. This is done as an effort by the government to ensure sufficient rice for the community in dealing with the worst possible impacts due to El Nino.

"We have prepared, indeed now many countries do not want to export, but we have ordered to be imported, in anticipation, so this stock is estimated to be sufficient when facing the El Nino season," said the Vice President.