Global Rice Production Disrupted, Bulog Reveals A Number Of Challenges

Director of Transformation and Institutional Relations of Perum Bulog Sonya Mamoriska (photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI)

NUSA Dua - Perum Bulog revealed a number of significant challenges so that it could disrupt global rice production conditions. This was conveyed in the Indonesia International Rice Conference (IIRIC) 2024 event in Nusa Dua Bali on 19-21 September 2024 in front of players in the expansion industry from 16 countries.

The event was also attended by Indonesia, United kingdom, Pakistan, Philipines, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Cambodia, United Arab Emirates, Lao peoples democratic, Myanmar, South africa, Republic of korea, Malaysia, China and Timor Leste.

Director of Transformation and Institutional Relations of Perum Bulog Sonya Mamoriska said that a number of these challenges threaten global rice stability and production.

"Currently, rice production is faced with a series of problems that have a broad impact on local communities and the global food system," he said at the Indonesia International Rice Conference (IIRIC) 2024, Thursday, September 19.

Sonya conveyed the first challenge, namely climate change which affects rice harvest at the global level. Because of this, it is due to unpredictable weather, increased temperatures, and extreme weather events such as floods and drought affecting rice yields around the world.

"This change not only interferes with the planting season, but also worsens water scarcity, important resources for rice cultivation," he said.

Sonya conveyed the second challenge, namely environmental factors where diseases from the past and pest species are increasingly diverse and difficult to eradicate. This adds to the burden for farmers who have faced challenges due to climate change.

The third challenge is economic pressure such as market volatility, trade restrictions, and rising costs of fertilizer and energy input so as to increase the burden of bpetani.

"The impact is that many farmers are increasingly difficult to maintain profitable operations," he said.

According to Sonya, the next challenge is a geopolitical conflict that causes disruption to the global supply chain, causing rice prices to tend to experience uncertain price changes.

"As a result, millions of people who depend on rice as staple food face greater vulnerability to food insecurity," he said.

According to Sonya, these various challenges show the need for an adaptive approach to rice production and the global community must realize that traditional agricultural and distribution methods are no longer adequate in dealing with the growing threat.

"It is clear that in order to secure the future of rice, we need innovative, sustainable, and collaborative solutions that can help us overcome these global challenges," he concluded.