REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government is compelled to import more corn following high demand from poultry raisers. It was done as a precautionary measure against scarcity of the commodity, Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Darmin Nasution stated.

"Demand from small and medium poultry raisers of both layers and broilers is still high," he noted here on Tuesday.

The government has decided to import more corn due to limited domestic supply, while information that the country witnessed a corn surplus was inaccurate, he remarked. Hence, the government will import the commodity until the end of March 2019 or ahead of the harvest period to avoid oversupply that may disrupt prices in the market, he stated.

"Basically, the deadline is mid-March based on the poultry raisers' request. Since the price in the market is still high, they expect imports to reduce its price," he revealed.