Entering The Great Harvest Period, PDIP Politician: Rice Imports Are Not Required

JAKARTA - Member of Commission VI DPR RI from the PDIP faction, Evita Nursanty asked the government, especially the Ministry of Trade not to rashly decide on rice imports during the main harvest season in several parts of Indonesia.

According to her, the government should focus on securing prices for unhulled rice at the farmer level. Namely, absorbing rice from domestic farmers who have entered the main harvest season and at the same time anticipating a decline in the price of unhulled rice in several places.

"We support imports in the event of a disaster emergency, there is the scarcity of production and stock or imports of special rice for certain needs, even then with good considerations and reasons so as not to disturb price stability at the farm level", Evita told reporters, Monday, March 22.

For information, based on the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 24 of 2020, the Government Purchase Price (HPP) for Harvested Dry Grain (GKP) at the farmer level is IDR 4,200 per kg. However, in several rice-central provinces, the price of unhulled rice has fallen below that, reaching IDR 3,200-3,500 per kg, because some of the unhulled rice was flooded some time ago.

Furthermore, Evita understands that the Government needs to strengthen food reserves, especially rice, which is sufficient to maintain the availability of all people. However, the food stock should be fulfilled from domestic production first.

In addition to cultivating stocks as government rice reserves, he said, the absorption of grain/rice for domestic farmers can also drive the economy at the farmer level.

"So that it can restore the wheels of the economy by President Jokowi's direction during the COVID-19 pandemic", said the PDIP politician.

Evita explained, currently, the stock controlled by Bulog is around 900 thousand tons. With this condition of the main harvest, he said, Bulog will certainly continue to intensively absorb and in April 2021 the Government's Rice Reserve stock is expected to amount to more than 1 million tons.

"So that rice imports are currently not needed", said the legislator for the Central Java electoral district.