REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The El Nino weather phenomenon will continue to impact Indonesia till 2016 and could prolong the ongoing drought, delay the rice harvest season and impede rice supplies, state-owned logistics agency Bulog said.

"It is possible that El Nino's effect will continue till November and remain until the end of the year. If experts confirm such a condition, it will likely delay the harvest season," Bulog President Director, Djarot Kusumayakti said on Friday.

Kusumayakti said Bulog currently has 1.7 million tons of rice stocks, of which 600 thousand tons are commercial rice and 1.1 million tons are stocked up under the "rice for the poor program (raskin)."

Rice reserves will have to be procured for next year as current stocks won't last, especially since the weather is expected to be dry and could delay the harvest and hurt rice stocks.

"If the harvest season is behind schedule, we must stock up well by the end of 2015. This could result in importing more rice, as it is a staple commodity," Djarot stated.

On the possibility of the government importing rice, he said he could not make any predictions because the Agriculture Ministry is currently making efforts to overcome the possibility of a delay in the harvest season and the possible effects of drought next year.

"The Ministry of Agriculture has provided assistance in the form of water pumps, retention basins and dam improvement. But the emergence of El Nino is beyond our power. If it runs normally, the grand harvest will take place in March and April, but if El Nino becomes stronger, the harvest will be surely behind schedule," Djarot noted.

According to him, the decision to import is easy as it concerns various interests. Imports should be ordered after careful consideration, including the possibility of it boosting logistical costs involved in the procurement of rice.

"Carrying out imports must be based on the right calculation and negotiations. Apart from that, a large tonnage of ships is needed to transport 50 thousand tons of rice during the month-long loading period. This is something that needs to be calculated and timed well," the Bulog Chief said.

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