JAKARTA - Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf introduced the Beras Haji Nusantarasea program as a government step in meeting the consumption needs of Indonesian prospective pilgrims for 1447 Hijriah/2026 Masehi.
This initiative aims to ensure that pilgrims get quality food intake while empowering domestic rice products in the Holy Land.
"We want to ensure that every grain of rice consumed by our pilgrims has the best quality and the taste of the archipelago," said Gus Irfan as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 10.
Iamenjelaskan total kebutuhan beras untuk 205.420 orang (jamaah reguler dan petugas) mencapai 2.280 ton. Jumlah ini dihitung berdasarkan frekuensi makan jamaah yang mencapai 78 kali di Makkah, 27 kali di Madinah, dan enam kali di wilayah Armuzna.
"Therefore, we encourage the use of Nusantara Haji Rice with premium specifications, long grain, and a maximum broken rate of 5 percent," he said.
Until now, he said, the kitchen of service providers in Saudi Arabia generally uses rice from other countries with a market price of around 150 SAR per 40 kg or equivalent to Rp16,824 per kg.
Through this program, the government targets the price of Nusantara Haji Rice to reach Rp. 16,000 per kg when it arrives at the service provider's kitchen. This step is also an effort to streamline and standardize the menu for pilgrims.
In the composition of the menu provided, he said, the pilgrims will get a portion of rice weighing 170 grams each meal, accompanied by 80 grams of lauk, 75 grams of vegetables, as well as mineral water and other supplements.
The Ministry of Agriculture also identified several challenges in the implementation of this program, including the mechanism for using the Government Rice Reserve (CBP) which requires assignment through a memorandum at the level of the Coordinating Minister for Food and Agriculture, as well as adjusting the quality from medium to premium.
"To succeed in this plan, we will immediately take several concrete steps, including forming a cross-ministerial/institutional Pokja Beras Haji Nusantara and requiring the use of Indonesian rice for all service kitchens through the assignment of the Hajj Affairs Office (KUH)," he said.
He will also coordinate with the Coordinating Minister for Food and Agriculture regarding the mechanism for Hajj Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) upon the President's approval and discussion of the Additional Budget (ABT) for subsidies.
"Later the government will also set a competitive price so that it can be accepted by the kitchen ecosystem in Saudi Arabia," said MenhajMochamad Irfan Yusuf.
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