State-owned plantation company PTPN has called on the government to limit sugar imports and support domestic production since local farmers are unable to compete with foreign producers, reported The Jakarta Post.
According to state-run plantation firm PTPN President Mohammad Abdul Ghani, efforts to boost productivity should be further strengthened by farmers so that they could be more competitive.
“Before farmers can achieve set sugarcane productivity level, please protect us. Our farmers will die if we open up to excessive sugar imports, and they will never be able to improve their agronomy,” Ghani told lawmakers on Tuesday at a meeting with House Commission VI, which oversees trade, state-owned enterprises and investment, quoted by Kontan.co.id.
According to Ghani, meeting the productivity target would help farmers reduce production costs.
