JAKARTA – The National Food Agency (Bapanas) continues to strengthen measures to maintain food availability and affordability, particularly rice, amidst distribution dynamics and the discovery of products that do not meet quality standards.
One concrete effort being undertaken is optimizing rice distribution through the Food Supply and Price Stabilization Program (SPHP). Head of Bapanas, Arief Prasetyo Adi, urged the public not to worry about rice availability.
He assured that Bulog's stocks are secure and that the distribution of SPHP rice continues to be accelerated as a stabilization instrument. He made this statement during a working visit to Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Friday, August 1.
"The rice in circulation is safe for consumption. However, we urge businesses to immediately adjust prices according to the actual quality of their products and improve production processes to comply with government regulations," Arief said in an official statement.
Meanwhile, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization at Bapanas, explained that distribution acceleration continues to be encouraged through various channels, including through Bulog's partners and other relevant institutions.
"We have assigned Bulog to expedite the distribution of SPHP rice to various channels, such as retailers in traditional markets, the Merah Putih Cooperative, food outlets assisted by local governments, state-owned enterprises (BUMN), government agencies including the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri), Bulog's RPK (Regional Logistics Agency), and non-wholesale modern stores," said Ketut.
Bapanas continues to intensively monitor conditions on the ground and actively coordinate with stakeholders to ensure that the public's food needs are met at reasonable prices.
Brigadier General Helfi Assegaf, Director of Economic and Special Crimes at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency and Head of the National Police Food Task Force, asked the public to remain calm and avoid panic buying following the discovery of substandard rice.
"We're telling the public not to panic buy. We've already confirmed with Aprindo, modern retailers, traditional markets, and the regional and central Food Task Forces, asking them to continue stocking, provided production improvements are made. Furthermore, items that were already in stock yesterday, such as those whose composition isn't up to par, can be sold at the appropriate price. This means that if the composition is medium, sell it at a medium price," Helfi said.
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