After the disaster, 30 tons of rice stock at each airport in Sumatra were withdrawn by Bulog

JAKARTA - Perum Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani stated that all rice stocks that had previously been alerted at a number of airports and ports had been withdrawn to warehouses, following the gradual normal food distribution conditions after the Sumatra flood disaster.

"All of them (have been withdrawn) to warehouses. Previously, at each airport we stocked (at least) 30 tons, we have withdrawn this because it is now normal," said Rizal when met after a working meeting with Commission XI of the DPR RI in Jakarta, Thursday, quoted by Antara.

The withdrawal was carried out after the situation in the disaster-affected area was considered more stable so that the community's food needs could be met without the need for emergency stock placement at the main transportation point.

Previously, Bulog prepared emergency rice stocks of 30 to 50 tons at each airport and port in the Sumatra region to anticipate sudden needs due to floods and landslides that hit North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh in November to December 2025.

So at that time, Rizal ordered all regional leaders to prepare a maximum rice stock of 50 tons per day at each airport. This step was taken so that if there was an emergency, rice could be immediately flown to the affected areas that needed food assistance quickly and on time.

Considering that at that time, a number of areas could not be accessed by land routes due to roads being cut off after being hit by floods. One of them is in the Takengon area, Central Aceh Regency.

In addition to air routes, Bulog also ensures that distribution through sea routes continues to run by preparing standby rice stocks at ports in disaster-affected areas in Sumatra.

The instruction to prepare stocks between 30 to 50 tons at the port is carried out to ensure that the delivery of food aid by sea can be carried out quickly when emergency conditions occur.

At that time, Bulog also ensured that all rice warehouses owned by the food SOEs were operating on standby for 24 hours to support the acceleration of the distribution of assistance to disaster-affected communities.

So if there is an urgent need, the available stock both in warehouses and transportation lines can be immediately pushed to help disaster victims.

The policy of standby rice stocks at airports and ports is implemented during the emergency response period until the affected area conditions are completely recovered and community activities return to normal.

However, Rizal ensured that with the current community conditions which have gradually stabilized without panic as before, including no longer occurring panic buying in the Central Aceh region which had occurred, the standby rice stock at each airport and port has now been completely withdrawn.

"So God willing, until now, for logistical needs in disaster areas, rice, oil, sugar, and so on have been met. And even now it has been leveled. There is no longer a community like yesterday, there was a panic buying in Central Aceh. Well, now there is no more, it's safe," said Rizal.