Ministry Of Energy And Mineral Resources Starts Spreading Free Rice Cookers In 26 Provinces

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has started distributing early-stage rice cooker Cooking Equipment (AML).

This policy is in accordance with the mandate of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation Number 11 of 2023, the Directorate General of Electricity has carried out the proposed AML supply process based on the validation of the village head or local regional officials.

"As progress in the early stages, AML distribution in December will be carried out to 53,161 households spread across 26 provinces," said Director General of Electricity Jisman Hutajulu while witnessing the handover of an Electrically-Based Cooking Tool in Pulo Gebang Village, East Jakarta, Tuesday, December 12.

Jisman said, after validation from the village head/lurah or regional officials, verification and validation were carried out involving PT PLN (Persero) and PT PLN Batam.

Furthermore, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources determined the distribution area of AML through the Director General of Electricity, procurement through e-catalog, and distribution involving PT Pos Indonesia and/or other business entities.

Jisman said, there are five AML brands that meet the specifications on the e-catalog of several business entities that participate in the AML procurement process.

The five brands are Cosmos, Maspion, Miyako, Sanken, and Seika.

The AML to be distributed has a capacity of 1.8-2.0 liters, including the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) label and energy saving, and meeting the provisions of the Domestic Component Level (TKDN).

He conveyed, to achieve the target program for providing AML for 500,000 Households in 2023 which is planned to spread across 36 provinces, the government is still finalizing data on prospective AML recipients targeted for completion in mid-December 2023.

Furthermore, AML will be distributed with a target completion on the third Sunday of January 2024 as possible based on Minister of Finance Regulation Number 109 of 2023.

"The time limit in the implementation of the program which only started in mid-October 2023, the fulfillment of the completeness of the requirements for the proposed AML recipient candidate, as well as geographical conditions and weather in the implementation of field verification, is a challenge in completing the program in the 2023 Fiscal Year," said Jisman.

Furthermore, Jisman explained, the provision of AML by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources includes the cost of purchasing AML packages and distributions to the household of prospective recipients, so that no fees are incurred by the community.

He added that the AML provision program is a grant from the Government and is not for sale equipped with a sticker buildup on the AML.

The AML package also includes brochures for AML usage patterns to serve as guidelines for people with a power of 450 VA.

"It is hoped that with this program, it can gradually reduce LPG imports used to cook, increase electricity consumption per capita, and support cooking activities that are more efficient with cleaner technology," concluded Jisman.