Karawang, West Java, Jan. 8 -- Indonesia's rice self-sufficiency has contributed to a 44 percent fall in global rice prices after the country sharply cut imports, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Wednesday.

"The world rice price has dropped from USD650 per metric ton to USD340 per metric ton, a decline of 44 percent," Sulaiman said at a grand harvest and food self-sufficiency event in Karawang, West Java.

He said Indonesia's decision to halt imports created oversupply in the global market as major exporting countries were left with excess rice.

Sulaiman said President Prabowo Subianto's firm food policy allowed Indonesian farmers to contribute indirectly to stabilising global rice prices.

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