Ahead Of The Dry Season, Rice Production Slumped 2.47 Million Tons

Illustration (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Indonesia will soon enter the dry season. Where, in that season domestic rice production is lower than consumption.

Currently, rice production has decreased by 2.64 million tons.

Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said, referring to the projection of the Area Sample Framework Survey (KSA) of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), rice production for the period January to July 2024 is projected to be only 18.64 million tons.

"Based on the projected KSA BPS, April 2024, the total production of rice from January to July is 18.64 million tons, 2.47 million tons lower than the same period the previous year," he said in a hearing with Commission IV of the DPR, at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday, June 10.

Furthermore, Arief said, this condition became a understanding of the government, especially the National Food Agency, considering that Indonesia would face the dry season.

"This is our concern to face the following months considering we are entering the dry season," he said.

Arief said, based on the projection of the food balance for the period January to June 2024, the rice surplus was only 650,000 tons.

He said that the amount was 2.64 less than the same position the previous year.

"The consumption projection for the January to July 2024 period was a surplus of 0.65 million tons, or 2.64 million tons lower than the same period the previous year," he explained.