JAKARTA - The National Food Agency (NFA) is optimistic that the availability and stability of national sugar this year will be controlled in line with the start of the sugar mill at various sugar factories (PG) in the country.
"We are targeting mills this year to produce productivity and rendements that are higher than the previous year, so that they can increase national sugar stocks, ensure that Government Sugar Reserves in Food SOEs are available, and reduce sugar importation rates next year," said NFA Secretary Sarwo Edhy in a written statement, quoted from Antara, Monday 5 June.
Sarwo, who inaugurated the opening of Giling at PG Jati Tujuh, owned by PT PG Rajawali II, a subsidiary of ID FOOD, in Majalengka, West Java, said that with the start of the giling period simultaneously in the middle of this year, domestic sugar supply would increase significantly.
"This condition is good for maintaining the stabilization of national sugar supply and prices, in particular ensuring the availability of Government Sugar Reserves," he said.
Based on the National Food Prognosis, the planned production of consumption sugar in the milling season this year is 2.6 million tons or higher than the production in 2022 of 2.4 million tons according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The national sugar demand is 3.4 million tons in one year.
According to him, procurement is still needed from outside to cover its shortcomings. However, the plan to procure consumption sugar this year is smaller than last year.
This year's procurement plan is below 1 million tons, while 2022 is still above 1 million tons. This is a good first step to strengthen our national sugar industry," he said.
On the same occasion, ID Food President Director Frans Marganda Tambunan expressed his optimism that the 2023 milling season is a momentum for the revival of the national sugar industry.
"From the results of a visit to the sugar factory under PG Rajawali II, I got positive progress such as land gain, then PG Sindanglaut, which for three years closed operations, resumed rolling activities," he said.
Then, he continued, his party also received an update on the use of mechanization and fertilizer for organic waste. This strengthens our hope that the revival of the RNI sugar industry will start from West Java.
The increase in sugarcane production in West Java was acknowledged by the President Director of PT PG Rajawali II Wahyu Sakti, which oversees five sugar factories in West Java.
According to him, in the last three years from 2021 to 2023 there has been a successive increase in production, from 9 million quintals in 2021, 10.5 million quintals in 2022 and an increase again to 11.5 million quintals in 2023.
"Every year PT PG Rajawali II experiences an increase in production. Today we are ready to start rolling with total sugar cane production reaching 5.6 million quintals with a redendement of 7.5 percent," said Wahyu.
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