Jakarta, Sept. 19 -- Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman emphasized that all sugar factories in Indonesia are still operating normally.

Sulaiman in Jakarta on Friday explained that molasses is a by-product of sugar production, and the actual problem is a build-up of sugar stocks, not a halt in domestic sugar factory operations.

"Molasses is a by-product of sugar factories. These sugar factories are still operating now; yesterday, what was piling up was sugar," Sulaiman said in a press conference after a meeting with the Lampung Provincial Government and cassava and sugarcane farmer associations.

He explained that the government has addressed the sugar build-up through funds from Danantara amounting to Rp1.5 trillion to purchase...