JAKARTA  Indonesia will not buy rice from other countries this year because domestic supplies can meet the national demand, an official said Thursday. “The 2008 rice procurement will be filled entirely by domestic sources,” state logistics agency Bulog head Mustofa Abubakar was quoted by leading news website Detikcom as saying.

The last time Indonesia became self-sufficient in its staple food was during the leadership of military-backed Soeharto, who died last month at 86. The country has been dependent on rice import since his resignation in May 1998 that ended his 32-year authoritarian regime.

JAKARTA  Indonesia’s state-run electricity company PLN has tackled disruption in fuel supplies to major generators that put the country in the threat of massive blackouts, the company said Thursday. Electricity supplies in the main island of Java suffered a deficit of 1,000 megawatts Wednesday and the government planned to issue a state of emergency when the figure reaches 1,500 megawatts.
BR> When supplies of coal and fuel return to normal, the power deficit will be reduced to 400 megawatts, PLN’s Distribution manager Muljo Adji was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying. On Wednesday, PLN temporarily cut off power in some areas in Java and Bali, reducing its power load by a total of 702 megawatts. The measure was taken following disruptions in the Java-Bali power system after bad weather interrupted fuel oil and coal supply to some power plants.

PLN said 34,000 kiloliters of fuel oil supply had been delivered to the Muara Tawar plant in the Jakarta suburb of Bekasi and another tanker ship carrying 34,000 kiloliters of fuel oil is ready to supply more. For the Muara Karang power plant in North Jakarta, PLN had stocked up 20,000 kiloliters of fuel oil and 18,000 kiloliters of diesel oil since Feb. 20.