106 Thousand Tons Of Bulog's Rice Quality Declines, Budi Waseso: Not Destroyed

President Director of Bulog, Budi Waseso. (Photo by: Bulog)

JAKARTA - President Director of Bulog, Budi Waseso, said that currently his party is waiting for a government decision regarding the management of 106 tonnes of downgraded rice.

This rice is part of the remaining 300 thousand tons of government reserve rice or CBP rice imported since 2018.

Budi Waseso (Buwas) confirmed that Bulog would not destroy the 106 thousand tons of degraded rice. Because according to him, the decline in quality is still within a reasonable threshold.

"It will not be destroyed. The quality is just not like when the rice arrived, because the name of rice for 3-4 months will definitely decrease in quality. But it can survive because Bulog takes good care of it," he said in a virtual press conference, Monday, March 29.

Buwas said, the decision to reduce quality rice management would be discussed at a limited coordination meeting (Rakortas). Buwas said that handling until the culling of rice has decreased in quality must obtain approval from the government, in this case the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

Meanwhile, Buwas explained that the authority to handle CBP rice which had deteriorated was in the hands of the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) and the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin).

"Because it is CBP rice, we are waiting for the government's decision. Whether wheat flour is made or whatever, it depends on the government," he said.

Bulog noted that 850 thousand tons of reserve rice from 2018-2019 remained until March 2021. The remainder included 300 thousand tons which were procured through imports and 106 thousand tons which experienced a decline in quality.

Buwas said that Bulog had also absorbed 200 thousand tons of rice harvested by farmers

until March 28, 2021. Thus, the current rice reserves in Bulog's warehouses are 1 million tons. Buwas confirmed that this figure had met the minimum rice stock limit in the company's warehouse.