Extreme Weather, Mataram DKP Has Not Issued Reserved Rice Assistance For The Community

The Mataram City Food Security Service (DKP), West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, has not yet issued food reserve rice assistance for the needs of handling the impact of extreme weather.

"So far, we have not received any proposals from the kelurahan regarding requests for food reserve rice assistance for handling the impact of extreme weather," said Head of the Mataram City DKP Food Reserve Distribution Division Faesal Abdussamad in Mataram, as reported by Antara, Tuesday, November 19.

This was conveyed in response to the changing weather conditions in Mataram City in recent weeks which experienced extreme weather in the form of heavy rain, strong winds, causing trees to fall and overflowing water to people's homes and potential tidal waves.

Faesal said that in principle, as long as there were proposals from the kelurahan to affected residents and needed assistance, DKP was ready to distribute food reserve rice.

This is in accordance with existing regulations, he said, that the rice can be issued when there are reports of residents affected by the disaster, such as fire disasters, dry impacts or hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, tornadoes, tidal waves, and landslides, and others.

"As long as there are reports and requests, we are ready to distribute rice to residents," he said.

However, he continued, for now the Mataram City DKP has not received a request for distribution of rice aid.

"We cannot produce the origin of the distribution, because it is the village officials who know better the conditions and needs of the residents below," said Faesal.

While alluding to whether there was no request for rice assistance because it was related to government policies that temporarily suspended social assistance, Faesal said that the policy information was excluded for social assistance for disaster victims.

"We just think positively, if there is no request, it means that the condition of the community is still under control so far," he said.

Data from the Mataram City DKP stated that the stock of food reserves was recorded at 10.6 tons. This amount is procurement in 2024 through the revised APBD, as much as 10 tons and the remaining 600 kilograms of allocation in 2023.

Every year the Mataram City DKP prepares 10 tons of food reserve rice assistance. If there is any remaining year before it will be accumulated with the procurement of the following year.

"Seperti alokasi tahun 2023 sebanyak 10 ton, tapi sampai saat ini yang dipakai 9 ton 400 kilograms, sehingga sisa 600 kilogram kami akumulasi dengan pengadaan tahun ini," katanya.