June 29, 2007

Indonesia's corn imports to slow in 2007 due to bigger harvest

Indonesia's corn imports are expected to fall this year while soymeal imports may rise, a senior industry official said Friday (Jun 29).

Corn production is expected to rise this year which would likely mean a cut in imports, said A.Ali Basri, director of PT Swaco Prima Windutama, a major Indonesian feed milling company.

Speaking on the sidelines of a grains shipping conference, Basri said corn imports would likely fall to 1.5 million tonnes in 2007 from 1.7 million tonnes last year as Indonesian production would rise from 6.5 million tonnes last year to 7 million tonnes this year.

Basri, who is also a consultant to a US farm lobby group, American Soybean Association as well as the US Grains Council, said Indonesian soymeal imports may rise 5 percent on year from last year's 2 million tonnes as feed demand continues to grow.

"Bird-flu concerns still exist in Indonesia but people's perception (of the threat) has changed. We are no longer in a situation where people are afraid to eat (poultry products)," he said.