January 17, 2023

Arief Prasetyo Adi, head of Indonesia's National Food Agency (Bapanas), said the country will export corn to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam this year, The Star reported.

Arief said Indonesia will export 200,000 tonnes of corn to South-East Asian markets in the first three months of this year.

She said Bapanas met with representatives from the target importers' pertinent agencies to discuss the export scheme, adding that that there are still a number of obstacls such as the technology needed to transfer corn from one ship to another.

The government set aside IDR 2 trillion (~US$130 million; IDR 1000 = US$0.066) in investment funds to develop this technology, but it hasn't been completed.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo requested an increase in corn productivity by opening new farms and sowing high-quality seeds, according to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.

The President's directive, Airlangga said, was based on consideration of the potential of corn plants in the country. Indonesia produced 34.4 million tonnes of corn in 2022.

The Indonesian government also intends to improve the efficiency of corn supply chain operations, including harvest, post-harvest processing, storage, transportation, and distribution.

-      The Star