Badanas Reminds Prabowo: Rice Reserves Ahead Of The Pilkada Must Be Above 2 Million Tons

Rice (photo: Doc Antara)

Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi admitted that he had warned the elected presidential team, Prabowo Subianto, to secure government rice reserves (CBP) ahead of the regional head election (pilkada).

Prabowo Subianto himself will start serving as president in October 2024. Meanwhile, the 2024 simultaneous regional elections will be held on 27 November.

Arief said that there would be an increase in rice demand ahead of the regional elections ahead of the very high presidential election. Therefore, he said, the government's rice reserve stock (CBP) controlled by Bulog must be above 2 million tons.

"We have conveyed, including to the team rather than the president elect, that it should not be during the change of state leadership in October, then November, December, January, February, this is a critical time," he said in a hearing with Commission IV of the DPR, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 4.

"So that the government's food reserves, especially Bulog rice, must have and we hope that it can be above 2 million tons because today's stock is only 1.3 million tons," he continued.

As of September 2, Arief said the CBP position of 1.39 million tons consisting of 1.31 million tons of stock on hand and 84,750 tons of travel. The domestic stock is spread across all warehouses of Perum Bulog in districts/cities in Indonesia.

This condition, continued Arief, must be prepared. Moreover, the change of leadership will take place soon, then proceed with the simultaneous regional elections in November.

"This is the time for us to prepare the government's food reserves, because it has become very critical. So now we are very intense in preparing government food reserves, especially rice," he explained.

Based on data from the Regional Sample Framework (KSA) of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) as of August 22, there will be an increase in rice production in August, September and October by 2.85 million tons, 2.87 million tons and 2.59 million tons, respectively.

In addition, said Arief, the production figure from August to October is also greater than the consumption rate of 2.58 million tons per month. According to Arief, currently is the right time to absorb domestic production for CBP.

"Procurement is definitely domestic, but at a time when we cannot take it because it will encourage the increase in domestic rice prices, we are very forced to carry out foreign procurement," he said.