JAKARTA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government is planning to import wheat as a substitute for corn in animal feed to prevent disrupting domestic demand for corn, according to Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan on Monday.
"The imported wheat will be specifically used for animal feed and won't be available for public consumption. We have agreed that wheat will replace corn, as its price is relatively cheaper," Hasan said after a meeting at his office in Jakarta.
He explained that the government had previously been importing corn for animal feed but now intends to replace those corn imports with wheat, given the high local corn production. This change is necessary to prevent excessive domestic stocks of corn.
He noted that this year's domestic corn production is estimated to reach 16.68 million tons, while the demand is only 13 million tons.
Statistics Indonesia reported that from January to September 2024, Indonesia imported 967,900 tons of corn, valued at 247.9 million U.S. dollars. The primary sources of these imports were Argentina, Brazil, and Pakistan. ■