JAKARTA (Dow Jones)--Indonesia's government aims to avoid importing rice all of next year and hopes to increase rice production to meet its needs from domestic stocks, Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters Tuesday. 

To that end, the government will implement an IDR1 trillion subsidy program whereby farmers can buy rice seeds at a set price, in an effort to encourage planting of new rice fields and optimal use of existing rice fields, Kalla said.

"With this program, if it's carried out seriously, the 1.5 million (metric) tons of rice we've been importing each year can be erased," he said, meaning that rice imports wouldn't be necessary. 
 
"Our rice production this year rose by 1.8 million tons, so we are certain that this year, our national stocks are safe. Thus, until the year's end, we don't need to import" any more rice, said Kalla.