Open Voice About Problematic Food Assistance, Bulog Boss Ensures Data Verification Is Completed This Week

President Director of Bulog Bayu Krisnamurthi (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - President Director of Perum Bulog Bayu Krisnamurthi opened his voice regarding problems in food assistance. He ensured that the problem of verifying data on rice food aid recipients will be completed this week.

For your information, the distribution of food aid has not been fully distributed to 22 million beneficiary families (KPM). This is because the verification of recipient data from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture with the Regional Government (Pemda) has not yet been completed 100 percent. This means that it is only partially running.

Furthermore, Bayu revealed that this data problem had been reported to the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian.

"So it has been reported to the Minister of Home Affairs, God willing, this week and verification will be completed next week," he said at a press conference at the office of the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, Central Jakarta, Monday, January 29.

Bayu said that this process is a natural process from time to time, including because of the turn of the fiscal year.

After the verification problem is resolved, continued Bayu, Bulog will distribute food aid sequentially for January and February.

"Then, Bulog will distribute food assistance directly, which in January and February in succession, so that not too long everything will be distributed," explained Bayu.

Previously reported, NFA Head Arief Prasetyo Adi said rice food assistance was continued not only in 2023 but continued in 2024. He said this program was continued for economic cushioning.

"This is not because of politics, this is indeed a need for 22 million people who need economic cushioning. The President wants to provide a lot of assistance to the people, some are in the form of cash, some are in the form of rice, now for rice food assistance the National Food Agency is working on," said Arief.

Arief said the data on recipients of rice food assistance was also not from the National Food Agency, but from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture. The food agency, he continued, assigned Bulog and ensured that the program ran according to the target.

"We assigned Bulog and made sure everything went according to the target. This is one of the challenges that Bulog rice that is absorbed from farmers or abroad, it used to be difficult to get out to be distributed, because in the past there was no government program as the clearance. But of course today it's much better, "said Arief.