It is reported by JakartaGlobe.

Panggah Susanto, agro-industry director general at the ministry, said sugar demand will increase due to 8% growth expected in the country's food and beverage industry next year.

Most of the sugar is still imported because local producers struggle with old and inefficient machinery and low productivity.

Panggah Susanto msaid national sugar demand amounted to 5,7 million tonnes in 2016, with 2,9 million tonnes taken up by industrial manufacturers and the remainder going to direct consumers.

Indonesia produced 2,2 million tonnes of sugar last year, with 1,2 million tonnes produced by state-owned enterprises and the remainder by private companies.

The ministry currently offers incentives for investors to build sugar factories in Indonesia by issuing licenses to import raw sugar.

«Importing sugar has to be stopped within the next three years and we should be able to grow it ourselves», — said Wilistra Danny, assistant deputy for plantations and horticulture at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

He said domestic sugar producers are currently unable to meet the national demand and the government has considered three steps to raise production.

«First, accelerate the development of sugar cane for industrial needs. Second, delivering raw materials that sugar cane plantations cannot provide and thus ensure that machinery is used optimally. Third, offering incentives for those who want to build new sugar factories», — he explained.