El Nino is predicted to last until early 2027, Bapanas ensures that food stocks are safe.

JAKARTA - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) ensures that the availability of national food remains safe even though the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts that the El Nino phenomenon will last until early 2027 with the potential to reach the very strong category.

Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization of Bapanas I Gusti Ketut Astawa said based on the food balance projection compiled by Bapanas, the national strategic staple food stocks are still in sufficient condition until the end of the year.

"Regarding the condition of stocks, it means in principle that based on the Food Balance Projection prepared by Bapanas, that all our food stocks are relatively safe," Ketut said in an official statement, Wednesday, July 29.

Ketut said that the conditions include rice, corn, soybean, red onion, garlic, large chili, sweet peas, beef, broiler chicken, broiler chicken eggs, and consumer sugar.

"Starting from rice, corn, soybeans, red onions, garlic, large chilies, rawit chilies, beef, purebred chicken meat, purebred chicken eggs, and consumer sugar, the important point is that the stocks we have until the end of the year are relatively good. This is the principle that we must always convey, so that the food conditions we have are still quite good," he said.

Bapanas noted that the Government's Food Reserve (CPP) is currently much stronger than before the peak of El Nino in 2023. As of July 28, 2026, the CPP rice stock reached 5.25 million tons or increased by about 245.4 percent compared to the beginning of September 2023 which was 1.52 million tons.

In addition, the government now has a stock of 166,000 tons of corn CPP, while the stock of pure chicken meat reaches 38 tons or an increase of 138.4 percent compared to September 2023.

Bapanas also noted that the stock of consumer sugar was 2,000 tons and cooking oil reached 1,000 kiloliters. The majority of these reserves come from the absorption of domestic food production.

To maintain price stability, Bapanas asked Perum Bulog to intensify the distribution of rice through the Cheap Food Movement (GPM) and Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) programs, especially in people's markets.

"Rice is stable. Supply is good but there are some that are a little higher. However, we agree with Mr. Director of Bulog. First, GPM please accelerate. Second, please also accelerate the medium rice SPHP in markets, especially, because some of our markets we see are still limited," said Ketut.

"This will affect prices. Therefore, there are 2 important points. The movement of Cheap Food and SPHP in markets. Please immediately be moved massively," he continued.

Separately, the Head of Bapanas who is also the Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said the government had prepared mitigation steps long before the dry season took place. According to him, the experience of facing El Nino in 2023 is a resource to maintain national food security.

"I think we can take care of this climate well. This drought we can take care of well. Every August is dry. August, September, October. November is rainy. It's the season (like that) but we have anticipated," said Amran.

He is optimistic that food supplies, especially rice, will remain safe even though the BMKG predicts that this year's dry season will be longer and drier than normal conditions.

"We have prepared for El Nino long ago. In the past, our experience (El Nino) in 2023, thank God we passed. If August to September, it is a dry season. God willing, our food is safe, especially rice," he said.

For information, the peak prediction of the dry season in Indonesia can occur in July to September 2026.

The peak of the dry season in July covers 83 Seasonal Zones (ZOM) or 12.26 percent of Indonesia's land area.

Then August was the peak of the drought in 369 ZOM (48.84 percent of the land area) and in September in 169 ZOM (25.41 percent of the land area).

BMKG revealed that the dry season in Indonesia in 2026 is predicted to be drier and longer than the normal average.

In addition, BMKG predicts that the El Nino phenomenon will continue to persist until early 2027 with the opportunity for its intensity to reach the very strong category of up to 75 percent.