Adjustment of rice supply to the evolution of the consumption pattern in Indonesia (1972–1993): mid- and long-term perspective and implications

Abstract

Due to the Green Revolution, rice production in Indonesia has rapidly increased and, in 1984, the country reached self-sufficiency in rice. The revolution, on the other hand, increased farmers’ incomes which, in turn, has generated a change in consumption pattern. The food consumption pattern in Indonesia has become more diversified, moving to high-income elasticity products, while rice consumption has shifted to a tasty rice. In response to the consumption pattern evolution and to the changes in relative prices, farmers tend to cultivate more non-rice crops and the rice crop itself is including more tasty varieties of rice. This trend could threaten rice self-sufficiency: while the area available for rice cropping would be reduced, the high-yielding varieties of rice generally disseminated are of low eating quality. The anxiety is enhanced by the fact that fertilizer is relatively intensively used, so that there is no room left for intensification of rice production. One of the solutions is the improvement of the potential yield of rice varieties in various environments, as well as its quality.