The Government Simplifies Rice Classification As Regular And Special

Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA The government through the National Food Agency (Bapanas) is preparing a major transformation of the rice Highest Retail and Quality Clustering (HET) system.

This step was taken in response to the latest dynamics in national control.

Head of Badanas Arief Prasetyo Adi said that his party had received a mandate from the Ministry of Coordination Limited Coordination Meeting (Rakortas) for the Economy on July 25, 2025, to formulate new quality standards and rice prices. The process of drafting this policy is carried out inclusively with business actors and relevant stakeholders.

"The National Food Agency is assigned by the Coordinating Ministry for Food Coordination Meeting (July 25) to prepare rice quality standards and prices. So we will provide the best alternatives, of course. Then later this will be made a body regulation and promulgated, after it is executed. There is a transition period too. But what is clear is that we have prepared this order so that it can overcome the existing challenges today," said Arief in his statement, Tuesday, July 29.

In the new scheme being drafted, the government plans to simplify the classification of rice quality from four premium, medium, submedium, and broken classes to only two categories, namely regular rice and special rice.

For regular rice, the government will still set HET as a reference for the maximum price in the market.

Meanwhile, special rice such as ketan, organic rice, red rice, fortification, and imported varieties will be exempted from the HET provisions, but must have certification for each brand marketed

"Will this premium and medium rice remain as it is today or is it simplified? But for domestically produced rice, which has government subsidies, ranging from fertilizers, irrigation to seeds, there is only one type of rice, for example regular rice. Stay with some criteria for quality requirements for it and hopefully the price will be better," explained Arief.

For special rice, Arief explained that this segment is intended for certain consumers, such as the upper middle class, so that the government will not regulate the price.

"In the coordination meeting, the Coordinating Minister for Food said that there would be other than ordinary rice, namely special rice. Special rice will be for example glutinous rice, red rice, organic rice, fortification, and others. Now, if this is the price, please, this does not need to be regulated because it targets certain consumers or middle-up class. Only regular rice wants to be simplified," he continued.

Arief menegaskan, kebijakan baru ini diharapkan bisa memberikan keseimbangan dan keadilan di seluruh rantai ekosistem perberasan nasional, mulai dari petani, penggilingan padi, hingga konsumen.

Sebagai informasi, dalam regulasi saat ini yaitu Peraturan Badan Pangan Nasional Nomor 2 Tahun 2023, terdapat empat kelas mutu beras dan sejumlah ketentuan tentang beras khusus.

Arief emphasized that this new policy is expected to provide balance and justice throughout the national expansion ecosystem chain, ranging from farmers, rice milling, to consumers.

For information, in the current regulation, namely the National Food Agency Regulation Number 2 of 2023, there are four quality classes of rice and a number of provisions regarding special rice.

Meanwhile, HET is currently regulated in Per Agency Number 5 of 2024, where the price of medium rice is set in the range of IDR 12,500 IDR 13,500 per kg and premium rice in the range of IDR 14,900' IDR 15,800 per kg.