Buwas Reveals Government Rice Reserves Only 230,000, Is It Enough For Ramadan?

President Director of Perum Bulog Budi Waseso. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - President Director of Perum Bulog Budi Waseso revealed that the government's rice reserve stock (CBP) is only 230,000 tons.

According to him, this stock is still sufficient for market operations.

"CBP 230,000 tons. For market operations, it is still sufficient," he said at the DPR Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday, March 20.

However, Buwas, Budi Waseso's nickname, is worried that the stock of rice reserves that are running low will end next month.

Bearing in mind, next month Muslims will perform fasting, where at that time rice consumption will increase.

"That's for this month, ok. But we have an interest next month, including the distribution of social assistance which is 210,000 tons every month. Well, that must be fulfilled, you know," he said.

As is known, Bulog starting this month is planned to start distributing food assistance in the form of rice as much as 210,000 tons per month.

The social assistance will be distributed to 21 million beneficiary families (KPM) and the plan will be given for three months.

Meanwhile, Buwas admitted that he had only absorbed 30,000 tons of grain produced by domestic farmers.

"Not yet, only 30,000 tons can be absorbed to date," he said.

For your information, the government is targeting Perum Bulog to be able to absorb 2.4 million tons of farmers' crops, where Bulog targets to absorb 70 percent or 1.7 million tons of this target.

Previously, Buwas said that the absorption of domestic production was of the interest of the state. This is because CBP is used for market operations to social assistance for underprivileged communities.

To speed up the absorption of Bulog, said Buwas, his party was assisted by the task force (Satgas) and the Indonesian National Army (TNI).

"It must be, 1.7 million tons of our target. I was assisted by the food task force, tni too, all of them helped Bulog for absorption. So I don't want to be mistaken, Bulog doesn't want to absorb it," he said.