REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia needs 1.2 million tons of rice for its national buffer stock by the end of March, National Development Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil said.

The rice stock is necessary in anticipation of a shortage due to the belated planting season in the country, he said at the Vice Presidential Office here on Monday.

"Therefore, one of the ideas (to deal with the issue) is to achieve what has been decided, that is, to ensure that the national rice stock remains at a minimum of 1.2 million tons in March," he said.

If the country has enough rice stock, the delayed rice harvest will not threaten supplies, he said.

Sofyan and several state officials including Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution, State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, and Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman held a meeting at the official residence of the vice president at Diponegoro Street here earlier in the day to discuss food security situation.

"At the meeting, we reported everything to the vice president, including this development and the policy we have adopted regarding food supplies," he said.

Sofyan also said the government has cancelled the finance minister's regulation regarding value added tax on import of cows, while the import of calves is subjected to value added tax at 10 percent as of January 8.

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