Indonesia to boost rice import quota on outlook for lower crop

Indonesia plans to increase its rice import quota this year by 80% to boost local supplies because domestic production in the first quarter is likely to be lower than last year on lack of rain.

The government intends to raise the quota by 1.6 million tons, said Arif Sulistiyo, import director at the trade ministry. That’s on top of two million tons of permits already issued to the state-owned food logistics company Bulog, he said Monday, speaking at a meeting at…