Indonesia's domestic demand for wheat in 2011 is predicted to increase six per cent as a consequence of population and national food industry growth, an industry spokesman said.

"Although its price has increased, demand for wheat will continue to increase. Demand for the commodity will increase not only at home but also abroad both for wheat powder and its down-stream products," the chairman of the Indonesian Wheat Businesses Association (APTINDO), Franciscus Welirang, said.

He said the average increase in demand for wheat in the last ten years was about 5 to 6 per cent per year. Demand for the commodity in 2010 was 10.53 per cent higher than in 2009.

In 2010, national wheat consumption reached 4,388,849 tons while national production stood only at 3,626,334 tons.

To meet the higher-than-production demand in 2010 , Welirang said, Indonesia imported 762,515 tons of wheat, 53 per cent of which came from Turkey.

Besides being consumed at home, domestically produced wheat was also exported.

Indonesia`s wheat exports in January - November 2010 stood at 34,163 tons worth US$16,568,810. The exports increased 90 per cent compared with that in 2009. They were exported to South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Timor Leste.