October 13, 2009
Indonesia set to be self-sufficient in soy by 2014
Indonesia, which still needs to import 1.1 million tonnes of soy a year, is set to be self sufficient in the food commodity in 2014, an official of the agriculture ministry said.
Hopefully the target can be reached in 2014, Muchlizar Murkan, director of peanut and tuber cultivation said, adding Indonesia was self-sufficient in 1992 when the domestic production reached 1.8 million tonnes.
Murkan said investors from Poland have indicated interest in opening large soy plantations in Indonesia.
The agriculture ministry has said it will make 1,000 hectares of land available for soy cultivation by the Polish investors.
Local newspaper reports said that the country's soy production is predicted to reach 1.5 million tonnes this year with 1.05 million hectares of plantation.
