JAKARTA, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Indonesia will import an additional 1.5 million metric tons of rice in 2023, its agriculture minister said on Monday, amid rising prices of the staple as drought affects harvests in many production centres countrywide.
The additional quota comes on top of a 2 million ton rice import quota for 2023 and an additional 300,000 tons carryover from last year's import plan.
"We will do our best for the 1.5 million," Arief Prasetyo Adi, who is acting agriculture minister, told Reuters.
He also said realistically Indonesia may only be able to procure 600,000 tons of the new import plan up to year-end.
Indonesian officials have previously said the country was looking to import 1 million tonnes from China to bolster stockpiles.
It was unclear where the rest of the imports would be sourced.
Indonesia typically buys rice from major shippers Thailand, Vietnam and India. Authorities have said talks of potential imports had also been held with Cambodia and Pakistan. (Reporting by Dewi Kurniawati; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Martin Petty)
