JAKARTA : (Commodity Online ) : Indonesia on Tuesday said country is expected to enjoy a rice production surplus of around four million tons this year.

According to Indonesia’s agriculture ministry, the surplus would consist of an excess of dried unhulled rice production of up to 3.5 million tons.

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There has been an extension of rice fields following the opening of new fields and improvements in irrigation networks, ministry said in a statement.

Since 2007 Indonesia had been enjoying quite large rice production surpluses averaging one million tons per year.

In 2008 the surplus reached 2.3 million tons and this year it is predicted to reach 3.51 million tons.

Indonesia’s Central Bureau of Statistics said the country’s dried unhulled rice production this year could reach 63.84 million tons up by 5.83 percent of 3.51 million tons from last year.

The rise in production is predicted to happen because of an increase of 4.18 percent or 515,310 hectares of rice fields and in productivity of 1.57 percent or 0.77 quintal per hectare.