Indonesia''s government is considering importing rice from Pakistan, which could supply up to a million tonnes of the grain, officials said on Saturday. "We plan to sign an MoU with the government of Pakistan about providing rice, so anytime when we need we can import," said Sutarto Alimoeso, the chief of Indonesia''s state procurement agency Bulog.
Alimoeso did not specify the volume Bulog wanted to buy from Pakistan. Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu is expected to visit Pakistan this month, Alimoeso said. Bulog is in the market for more rice after saying this week it bought 230,000 tonnes of 5 percent broken premium Thai rice for shipment until February next year.
The government has allowed Bulog to import rice this year due to falling stockpiles and as high domestic prices have prevented it from building up inventories. Indonesia has been negotiating with Thailand and Vietnam for more rice imports before mid-February when the main rice harvest starts.