Food for Growth: Trends in Indonesia's Food Supply, 1880-1995

Abstract

A decline in Indonesia's per capita rice supply until the 1970s was marginal in relation to food supply as a whole. Until the 1970s, trends were determined by non-rice food crops. Indonesia was long unable to satisfy an increase in the demand for food with a higher supply of rice. From 1905 to 1920, cassava products met the additional demand for carbohydrates, which grew with purchasing power. During the interwar years, per capita food supply decreased slightly, mainly because demand shifted from staple foods to cheap manufactures. From 1943 to 1970, Indonesia experienced a drastic fall in food supply per capita due to an acceleration in population growth, restrictive regulations imposed on food markets, and the general demise of the Indonesian economy. The upward trend in per capita food supply since the 1960s was caused largely by increases in rice production, generated by government support to rice farmers. Higher incomes brought an increased demand for food, which could be met with inexpensive rice.