Admittedly The Rice Price Is Still Mahal, Head Of Badanas: Distribution Not Optimal

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

JAKARTA - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) admits that the price of rice is still expensive.

Head of Bapanas Arief Prasetyo Adi explained that this price increase occurred because the available government rice reserves (CBP) had not been able to reduce prices in the market.

The reason, continued Arief, the number is still limited and the distribution from Perum Bulog's warehouse is also not optimal.

This is because of the import target of 200,000 tons, Bulog was only able to attract 62,000 tons of rice.

"Due to the conditions of Christmas 2022 and New Year, it can't be done quickly, there are holidays, then the waves are also high. But that's not an excuse," he told reporters, Tuesday, January 10.

Arief hopes that the second week of January 200,000 tons of imported rice can enter Indonesia.

Meanwhile, 300,000 tons are targeted before March 2023.

"We try not to enter too late in March. Because after that we have harvested, it's time for Bulog to absorb," he said.

For the DKI Jakarta area, said Arief, his party has assigned Perum Bulog to distribute 2,000 tons of CBP.

Of this total, continued Arief, Bulog has distributed 1,000 tons of imported rice to the Cipinang Rice Main Market.

In Jakarta, 2,000 tons have been prepared, this morning (it has come out) 1,000 tons to the Cipinang rice main market. Then in East Java massive is done in outlets. So this Central Java has anticipated it," he said.

For your information, Perum Bulog has officially received 200,000 tons of imported rice from three countries, namely Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.