Rice Aid Extended By Three Months, Head Of Badanas: Ampuh Becomes The Economic Pillow Of The Poor

Food aid recipients. (Photo: Doc. Badanas)

JAKARTA - Rice Aid Industry Extended By Three Months, Head Of Badanas: Ampuh Becomes The Economic Zone For The Poor Has not decided to continue providing rice food assistance for the next three months starting August, October, and December.

The continuation of the program has been ensured through the availability of the state budget.

Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi said the provision of rice food assistance was continued because the program proved effective as an economic cushion for the poor.

"This rice food aid has really proven effective as an economic cushion for low-income people," he said in an official statement, Thursday, June 27.

Furthermore, Arief said, the allocation of the distribution of government rice food aid this year has increased compared to last year.

"Last year the allocation was a total of seven months of distribution and this year at the direction of Mr. President Jokowi, for up to nine months, because after June, it will continue in August, October, and December," he said.

On the other hand, Arief highlighted the trend of weakening the rupiah against the US dollar. Therefore, he encouraged domestic production to continue to be boosted.

"This is the time for us to increase domestic production, especially when the world's food prices are high. We are preparing for domestic production, if we have excess, we can export it. It's time for us to become a food barn. So if we respond to a high currency rate, then this is the time for domestic production," he said.

Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that the continuation of this rice food assistance program had been ensured through the availability of the state budget.

"Look, yesterday we counted, so later (rice food assistance) will be continued, namely going to August, going back to October, going back to December. We are grateful because the APBN calculations can be like that," said Jokowi at Bulog Bukit Tunggal Warehouse, Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan on Wednesday, June 26.

In addition, Jokowi also guarantees that the rice distributed in the government's food assistance program is quality rice managed by Perum Bulog.

"This rice received is good, right? Because what was sent to you all were premium rice. This is the improvement made by the government, which was made by Bulog because we know now, Bulog continues to improve the management in it," he said.