Minister Of Agriculture Amran Pasang Target RI Not Importing Sugar Sand Next Year

Illustration: Photo: Doc. ANTARA

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Amran Sulaiman targets Indonesia not to import white sugar or white sugar next year.

This step is part of the government's efforts towards national sugar self-sufficiency.

Amran said the government had planted sugar cane in various regions to support the achievement of this target.

"Insyaaallah, white sugar, pray that no later than next year it will not be imported, the next target is refined sugar. That's next, but most importantly next year we are not targeting to import white sugar anymore," said Amran at the National Food Agency Office (Bapanas), Jakarta, October 13.

Amran said that apart from planting on new land, his party will also dismantle the ratio with new planting to increase productivity.

Furthermore, Amran said, this technique is carried out on sugarcane plants that have been harvested three times and their productivity is considered to have begun to decline.

"Now our sugar has started planting. We have sugar throughout Indonesia, Central Java, Lampung, East Java, especially Sulawesi, all those with sugar, North Sumatra. We are dismantling the ratio, the plan is 3 years," he said.

Dalam konteks swasembada, Kepala Bapanas ini juga memastikan prioritas yang dikejar adalah gula konsumsi.

Kata dia, setelah itu tercapai, selanjutnya akan merambah pada swasembada gula untuk kebutuhan industri.

“Gula konsumsi dulu, white sugar yang sekarang kemudian gula industri. Jadi ada tahapannya,” tuturnya.

In the context of self-sufficiency, the Head of Badanas also ensures that the priority being pursued is consumption sugar.

He said, once that is achieved, it will then spread to self-sufficiency in sugar for industrial needs.

"Going for consumption first, white sugar which is now industrial sugar. So there are stages," he said.