Minister Of Agriculture Syahrul: National Food Stocks Adequate To Ramadan And Eid 2023

Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Syahrul Yasin Limpo. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo guarantees that food commodity stocks are sufficient to meet national needs ahead of the increasing trend of demand during Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr 2023.

"So far, in our balance sheet count, all (food commodities) are safe," said Minister of Agriculture Syahrul at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Friday, February 17.

In addition to basic commodities such as rice, he added, food commodities that require imports such as soybeans are also sufficient.

"Including of course, commodities that substitution imports, including soybeans, for example from our balance sheet because everything is already running," he said.

Several other commodities that need to be imported to meet national food needs such as garlic and meat, said Syahrul, are also in the procurement stages that are in accordance with government plans. Therefore, said Syahrul, all food stocks are still safe ahead of Ramadan.

"Importation is of course still on the track. I believe Ramadan is safe," he said.

Regarding rice, Syahrul also reported that all production areas had entered the main harvest in February, March, and April 2023.

For February, he said, there is one million hectares of rice land entering the harvest, followed by March 2023, there are 1.9 million hectares of land entering the harvest.

According to him, from March to April 2023, various regions will enter the peak of the harvest. Syahrul said rice production at the peak of the harvest would reach at least 5.9 million tons.

"The average of 5.9 (million tons) of the existing data, which we have been using as a reference. Even though the various varieties that we use now are more than that. However, we use the lowest 5.9 (million tons) BPS data," he said.