Head Of The Food Agency Calls Reserve 200 Tons Of Imported Rice For Government Activities

Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

Head of the Food Agency Calls Reserve 200 Tons of Imported Rice for Government Activities

Head of the National Food Agency (NFA) Arief Prasetyo Adi said to ensure and ensure the sustainable availability of community food, the stock and readiness of Government Food Reserves (CPP) must be maintained and supplied.

Currently, continued Arief, CPP stock, especially rice, is in a position that needs to be stopped-up or added as an instrument for stabilizing price fluctuations and to anticipate emergency conditions.

Therefore, Arief explained, as an effort to secure rice reserves, the government will prepare 200,000 tons of commercial rice abroad which can be brought to Indonesia at any time.

"This food supply must be available and not issued freely, only used for several government activities," he said in an official statement, Wednesday, December 7.

Arief said rice stocks from outside were only used under certain conditions such as disaster management, price interventions if needed and several other government activities.

"The use will be closely monitored, to ensure that it does not enter the market," he explained. Farmer's Rice Association Arief also ensures that the imported rice will not interfere with farmers' rice, because it is only used for price control and food fulfillment activities in the midst of emergency or disaster conditions through Perum Bulog. "We make sure that this commercial rice will not interfere with the domestic rice produced by farmers. The government fully sides with local farmers, so that the existence of this reserve will be maintained so as not to damage the price of farmers' rice," he said. "We also consistently continue to monitor and maintain the price of absorption of grain or local rice at the farmer level remains reasonable. Our mission is to realize prosperous farmers, profit traders, smiling people," he continued. Furthermore, Arief explained that this commercial rice is an end of the year's supply until waiting for the main harvest in February to March 2023. "We prepare it in February-March 2023 so that Bulog can absorb when the harvest arrives to stop its stock again up to 1.2 million tons," Arief said, assessing that this is necessary in order to maintain floor prices at the farmer level, and then issued at the time of rice production. decreases at the end of the year.

For your information, this rice fulfillment effort is in line with the direction of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to ensure that the food needs of all people are met.

In the Cabinet Session, President Jokowi again reminded everyone to be vigilant, so that rice needs must really be calculated.

Not only that, but President Jokowi also asked in meeting the needs of this rice Ministry and related institutions to coordinate and collaborate with each other.