The Government Starts Distributing Rice Aid Phase Two Next Monday Next Week

Head of the National Food Agency (NFA) Arief Prasetyo Adi during a Hearing Meeting with Commission IV of the DPR RI at the DPR RI Building, Jakarta, Thursday (7/9/2023). BETWEEN/HO-Bapanas.

JAKARTA - The government will start distributing rice food assistance in the second phase to 21.353 million Beneficiary Families (KPM) on Monday, September 11.

"Starting next Monday, Bulog will distribute rice food assistance to 21.353 million KPM for the next three months. This is an intervention step that the government needs to take so that rice prices can stabilize again," said Head of the National Food Agency (NFA) Arief Prasetyo Adi as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, September 7.

Arief conveyed that the distribution of rice for the next three months, as directed by President Joko Widodo, also aims to reduce rice prices in the market and help control inflation in areas.

"Moreover, this is carried out for three months and it is equivalent to around 7 to 8 percent. We will continue to try to reduce rice prices in the market so that people do not need to worry and panic buying," he added.

Arief emphasized that in the distribution process, there needs to be regularity and minimize errors in the field. Especially for distribution to 3TP (Disadvantaged, Outermost, Frontier and Border) areas, delivery effectiveness will also be carried out, for example by directly sending them at once for two or three months of aid packages aimed at accelerating delivery.

"Data on recipients of rice food assistance so that it is actually cross-checked, so that it can be right on target," said Arief.

The first phase of rice food assistance has been distributed from April to July 2023. With a target target of 21.353 million KPM in 38 provinces with a total amount of rice reaching 640 thousand tons, it has been realized collaboratively.

In the expansion statistics released by the Central Statistics Agency on September 1, 2023, it was recorded that in February 2023 the level of rice inflation (month to month) was 2.63 percent.

Then it decreased to 0.03 percent in July, but again increased to 1.43 percent in August 2023. Related to that, the contribution of rice inflation (month to month) of 0.08 percent in February also fell and grew again in August to 0.05 percent.

The rice food assistance is considered to be able to reduce the rate of increase in rice prices from April to July 2023 so that it has an impact on maintaining the inflation rate in general.