Prepare 200 Thousand Tons Of Rice For Social Assistance During The Emergency PPKM Period, BULOG Boss Budi Waseso Ensures Good Quality

Bulog Rice. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Perum BULOG will immediately prepare 200 thousand tons of rice for additional social assistance from the Ministry of Social Affairs to recipients of Cash Social Assistance (BST) and Family Hope Program (PKH) in accordance with the President's instructions during the Implementation of the Java-Bali Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

BULOG's president director Budi Waseso said that the prepared flavors would be distributed to 20 million recipients of social assistance. He said, BULOG is ready to carry out the assignment of distributing rice for social assistance (bansos).

"BULOG is ready to carry out the assignment to distribute additional rice for social assistance to 10 million recipients of Cash Social Assistance and 10 million Family Hope Programs, each of which will receive an additional 10 kilograms (kg) of rice assistance," he said in his official statement, Thursday, 8 July.

Budi Waseso said that the BULOG staff was committed to ensuring the best quality and quantity of rice distributed for this program.

Moreover, said Budi, considering that the current stock of rice controlled by BULOG is 1.4 million tons spread in BULOG warehouses throughout Indonesia in good condition.

"With this additional Rice Social Assistance, not only the social assistance recipients will benefit, but also farmers who are also community groups affected by COVID-19 because BULOG's rice comes from farmers' rice purchased at harvest time according to the mandate from Presidential Instruction No. 5 of 2015," he explained.

Budi said the role of BULOG as one of the state companies in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been tested, this is evidenced by the large distribution of KPSH Rice (Market Operations) since the beginning of the pandemic in order to stabilize prices at the consumer level.

"And the successful distribution of Presidential Assistance Rice for people affected by COVID-19 in the Greater Jakarta area last year," he said.

Meanwhile, Social Minister Tri Rismaharini said that his party immediately sent data on BST and PKH recipients to BULOG and they distributed the rice through its network throughout Indonesia.

"BST and PKH recipients will receive 10 kg of rice distributed by Bulog," he said.

Previously, on Wednesday, July 7, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) held an internal meeting attended by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani, Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini, Minister of Trade Moh. Lutfi, Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Director of Bulog Budi Waseso. The meeting specifically discussed the mechanism for regulating the government's rice reserves.