REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Ministry of Trade announces that Indonesia will stop sugar for consumption this year. According to joint meeting, domestic production of sugar would surpass the demand, Director General of Foreign Trade Bachrul Chairi said.

In good weather, Indonesia can produce sugar for consumption up to 3.8 million tonnes, while the demand is about 2.4 million tonnes. "We will have surplus in the amount of 1.36 million," he said on Friday.

The surplus will be prioritized for remote regions, such as borders. He explained that the price of sugar in several remote regions was expensive. Government will cooperate with private companies to control the price as well as determine farmer standard pricing (HPP) of sugar. In 2012, HPP of sugar was 8,100 IDR/kilogram, which was 15.71 percent higher than that of 2011.

For industrial need, Indonesia will import 2.26 million tonnes of sugar this year. The import license has been given to eight companies.

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